Blankly Blue
by Professor Hyraxi
Summary: During 'Avengers' and 'Thor 2' Loki was being coerced and tortured by Thanos and the Chitauri. But, too ashamed to pose as Odin any longer, he turns himself human so no one can track his magic and fleas to earth where he forms an unlikely friendship with the Avengers. Eventual Frostiron.
1. The Madness Begins

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing that isn't mine. If you try to sue me I'll blackmail you. If you sue me anyways I'll have to kill you. I'm joking. Sorry. Moving on…

 **Rated for:** Torture, abuse, angst, the possible cuss-word here and there... etc...

 **Pairings:** Canon pairings, Frostiron.

 **Setting** **:** Set a year after Avengers: AoU. Anything before AoU related to the Avengers may give away spoilers as well as AoU.

 **Author's Note:** I've decided to write a multi chapter angst story about Loki and the avengers. I hope you'll like it and thank you all for reading!

* * *

Loki was hurtling into an endless vortex of nothingness and, somehow, everything.

His raven hair whipped behind him, pulling hard as though it would rip away from his scalp. His body felt like it was going to rip out of his skin yet it never did.

The world seemed to ripple around him.

Clusters of colors, he had never seen before, flashed past in blurs of glowing fiery bright lights, going past as if at one point they would hit him and shatter him to pieces leaving him to be but travelling flesh.

His arms and legs had nothing to hold onto. They simply swayed in the harsh wind and it was such a helpless, pathetic feeling.

His screams echoed silently in the cluster pain, hurdling faster and faster and _faster and faster_ —

Loki awoke, breathing harshly against his chest.

Everything was blurred so Loki rfubbed his eyes and blinked a few times.

 _It was just a dream… Nightmare… Memory-_

Loki looked at the clock above the paint-pealed white door with the brass lock. It was eleven o'clock. He had overslept again.

He sighed and crawled out of his rickety, uncomfortable, human bed. His battered feet searing up slightly from hitting the hard wooden floor.

The pain he felt in his dream had been reciprocating the actual pain he felt; though perhaps to a higher degree.

He took a step forward and the floorboards creaked. His headache was banging painfully against his sweat stricken forehead and he clasped with a grimace.

The landlord would be asking for his payment tomorrow. Loki was trying to get a job, but honestly he didn't know if he could. What would his résumé say? Potential evil king _, Potential evil tyrant, genocide, regicide… Raised_ to _be a privileged prince_ from a, _literally, different world_ and would have no _idea what_ he's _doing_ at any kind of job _there or here._

The former prince had no plan regarding where he'd live next after his landlord kicked him out. Not one. He'd probably opt to live among the, potentially mentally-ill, homeless people, in a giant garbage can.

Loki opened the window to let some air into the disgusting, crummy, room of his cheap New York apartment that wouldn't be his long.

Looking around him, at the cheap small bedroom, he stepped into the crammed bathroom, bending under the short doorframe. He didn't know _why_ it costed anything to live here in the first place.

He'd have honestly rather lived in a dumpster then this place but, of course, that would be scarring to his decreased physical health.

He looked in the mirror, his reflection clear and he glared at what he saw.

He looked terrible. His hair was ridiculously unkempt, his undeniably frail body was as pale as his bedsheets which only distinguished the dark circles in his tired, sullen, eyes.

He didn't like his hair. It was a painful reminder of all he'd lost… and all he'd gained… And all he'd done. So, he made a mental note to get a haircut… Though he didn't know where he'd get the money.

He walked back into the small bedroom, limping ever so slightly.

Loki Looked out the window, the ugly neighboring apartment buildings, dried weeds growing on them, hiding the more beautiful and magnificent buildings and scenery of New York from Loki's sight.

Loki knew Thor would soon find out Odin was missing. He knew he needed to tell Thor what was really going on during his… Exploits… in Manhattan. What's really happened to Odin, All-Father. He didn't want his brother to think him weak. He _wasn't_ weak. It was thousands against one, and the one leading _'his'_ brigade? A humongous, nefarious, heinous, powerful titan, who could easily snap a fully grown Jotun's neck with one hand. He could certainly snap Loki's, given the fact that Loki was a Jotun grunt who was now 'human'.

Loki didn't like being human. No spells, no tricks, no breaking your leg and having it heal within a week, no immortality.

His hair had taken a slight tint of dark auburn-brown, instead of being completely black. He didn't remember that happening to Thor… He wasn't sure how he felt about the small, almost unable to be seen, hair color change.

Loki wasn't _weak_ in the sense that he wasn't brave. He'd been coerced into the things he'd done after falling from the rainbow bridge. _Painfully_ coerced. But he _was_ physically weak, all the same and there was no denying that. He didn't want Thor to see him like this. He didn't want him to see his shame. He didn't want him to know that Loki could be crumpled like cheap paper as inevitably as a falling star will chip, or even shatter a little, upon landing.

Loki had been lying for so long that he now _lied_ to himself.

Loki really didn't want Thor to see him for what he really was. Not a clever devil, or magician of epic trickery but a coward. Loki tried to believe himself brave. He told himself he was. He'd lie to himself all day about the matter. But no. He was indeed a coward. Never a god of mischief; but a ridiculous, silly, fool filled with nothing but deceit.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

'Avengers Tower' became sort of a living quarters as well as head-quarters over the past year.

'ACDC' was playing loudly around the room.

Tony was leaning in his couch, a peculiar device in his hands, his focused eyes gleaming in the reflection of the shiny machinery.

Steve watched, uncomfortably. He was still having a difficult time finding his way around the tower, let alone the whole of New York including his own hometown. Tony was the only one there at the moment so he would have to ask for his help. He really was dreading asking Tony where he could find his own bedroom. He knew the man was bound to bother him about this and he really wasn't in the mood for Stark's shenanigans at the moment.

"Stark?" he coughed, awkwardly. Tony didn't seem to have heard him. "Stark?" he said, louder and hopefully clearer.

Tony glanced behind his back at the Captain.

"What's up, Cap?" he asked, absently, as he went back to tinkering with… whatever he was tinkering with.

"Could you turn the music dow—"

"What?" Tony interrupted.

"Please turn the music do—"

"WHAT?!"

"STARK!" Steve yelled. This was already hard and he wasn't going to let Stark tease him even before he was supposed to.

Tony rolled his eyes as he turned around, put down his thingamajig, and turned the music down slightly.

Steve glared at him, disapprovingly.

"Fine." He said, or probably said. The Captain couldn't really _hear_ anything. _Still_.

Tony turned off the music and the room was enveloped in silence.

Steve paused a moment and cleared his throat.

"What's up, Stevie?" Tony asked, possibly a little irritated though he was good at hiding it.

"So… I don't know where the… my… uh—"

"You forgot where your bedroom is again?" Tony asked, grinning, much to Steve's exasperation. Steve felt his face grow hot with embarrassment.

Clint must have told him. Steve thought he could trust that one but apparently no. No, he could most certainly not.

Tony shrugged. "Well, okey-dokey, then..." he said, as he turned around and began rummaging in a steel dresser.

"Tony, can you _please_ just help me here?" Steve begged.

"Ah-ha!" Tony said. He turned around and a roll of paper became visible to Steve. He handed it to Steve and Steve opened it up. It was a map for the tower.

"Thanks…" Steve said.

"No problem. Go crazy, Captain." Tony said, turning away to continue whatever it was he was doing.

Suddenly they heard a swoosh that sounded something like a hurricane during an earthquake in a snowstorm… on a Tuesday.

"The news never said anything about a tsunami…" Tony said, glancing at Steve.

They scrambled to look out the window and poked their heads out.

There was a crackle of thunder somewhere and the appearance of a red caped, muscled man became slightly visible in the smoky dust. They knew who it was. Thor. He looked tenser than usual and a little angered. Something serious had happened.

"Thor that's my lawn!" Tony yelled out the window.

Steve ignored the urge to correct Tony's calling the tower that was now all of theirs 'his' for the millionth time and followed the man out the door.

They ran up to the top of the tower, where they knew Thor would come.

Loki had heard the crackle of thunder, the distant sound of Mjolnir's cyclone could be heard all the way from the apartment.

He knew what Thor was there for. He knew what he had to tell him and he grimaced. Thor thought he was dead… How would he react to what Loki had to tell him? How would he take the truth? Loki didn't know. But he'd soon find out.

* * *

Sorry for the cliff-hanger! I hope you liked and enjoyed and thank you so much for taking the time to read! I really, really appreciate it! So, Thank you!

PH


	2. So Much for Being Low-Key

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing owned by another.

 **AN:** Hello, kind readers! I was just so tempted to write an early chapter that I did! And I hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

The sound of Thor's hammer… Hammer… Hmm… Meow-meow? Was heard as Thor's magnificent figure appeared overhead.

He landed gracefully on his feet and walked hastily over to Tony and Steve, a serious expression on his face. He stopped when he was at least four feet away.

"What's up, Buffy?" Tony asked.

"My name is not 'Buffy' and as for what's up… Is that a metaphor for something or perhaps a rhetorical question?" Thor asked Tony, his face was hardened into seriousness. It was strange because he was usually a rather jolly, jubilant person—erm… god… immortal being… alien.

"What's going on, Thor?" Steve asked in his serious voice. Everyone was pretty serious today.

"Guys… Guys, don't worry. I can totally get you both prescriptions for chill-pills in less than half an hour with one of my AI's."

"Anthony, I appreciate your concern for our health but I have come in urgent desperation." Thor said.

"Okay. Okie-Dokie—"

"Stark, this is clearly serious." Steve said.

"You've clearly got an ant infestation in your crotch area."

Steve gave Tony his 'I'm an old man from the 1940's and I am shocked at your lack of etiquette' face.

"We must gather all the 'Avengers'." Thor said, "This is of extreme urgency."

"What's up, Thor?" Steve asked.

"I've already made it clear that I don't know what you mean by that." Thor said, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Vision, Banner, Romanoff and Scarlet Witch are in entirely different countries. New York's not the only place that needs help, so we can't call on everyone—"

"This is not about New York, Stark." Thor said, tensing up even more, "This is about Asgard."

"Asgard?" Steve said. "What's going on in Asgard?"

"You have every right to decline, but I'm afraid I need your help." Thor said, "Odin, All-Father is missing.

"Maybe he went out on a stroll." Tony suggested.

"I highly doubt that." Thor said.

Tony and Steve shuffled a bit uncomfortably. Was Thor asking them to go all the way to Asgard for this? Tony had always wanted to go there someday… But he'd hoped for a vacation, not an epic battle with the gods or whatever they would be in for by following Thor.

"Stark, Captain." Thor said, "I have gone to Midgard many times for the sake of aiding you and have always been there to assist you with your oddly troublesome realm. I only ask now that you return the favor and help me with mine."

"Guys, I don't want to bash good ol' Mother Earth, but isn't Asgard a bit more… strengthened and sufficient in safety?" Tony asked.

"No." Thor said. "Many of the soldiers of Asgard are too prone to panic at the thought of their almighty king disappearing—"

"Aren't you guys supposed to be badasses?"

"Stark." Steve said.

"You see, I need to be as careful as possible. Not even Heimdall was able to tell where Odin was. This mission requires quietness and subtlety. No one, not even my soldiers can know. This mission must be taken into action completely between me, you two and all the available Avengers possible." Thor said.

"What's happened?" asked a female voice, behind them.

The three Avengers turned around to see no other than Pepper Pots approaching them, a look of concern on her face.

"Thor, I saw you on the News. What's going on?" Pepper asked.

"Thor, you really should travel more low-key." Tony said.

"How dare you mention my brother?" Thor looked at Tony aggressively.

"Seriously, Pikachu? Pick up a cliché/metaphor dictionary book already." Tony said. "It's not my fault you don't take the time to read about the place your in love with."

"Why are you constantly speaking irrelevancies during serious situations?" Thor asked.

"I'm just an awesome guy. Can't help it."

Steve glared at Tony, disapprovingly.

"What's going on?!" Pepper asked again, looking at them incredulously. "If you guys are _the_ Avengers then we are most certainly doomed."

"Let me explain to Ms. Pots." Thor said, turning to Pepper. "You see, Ms. Pots, something terrible has befallen Asgard— the great All-Father has gone missing. Vanished. But you must keep this a secret."

"I still think he went out on a stroll."

"Tony!" Pepper and Steve yelled at the same time.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"I'm gonna go suit up, you should too." Steve said before he left.

Tony sighed, "Well, can't refuse a friend, can I? So, I'll just go… Suit up, I guess. And contact Nat and Brucey. They'll probably be available."

"What of Barton?" Thor asked.

Clint had left the Avengers to live a peaceful life at his farm with his wife and kids, after helping the Avengers for the last time —and he said _the LAST_ time— after the defeat of Ultron.

"Nope." Tony said, "Can't bother the guy, but we can still bother the redhead and my science-bro, so we've got that going for us…"

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Loki knew what he had to do. He didn't know how Thor would react but he could certainly guess and he hoped his assumptions were for naught. He hoped Thor would be a little understanding and calm and wouldn't break his arms.

 _Knock! Knock! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

Loki awoke from his daydream and scrambled off the bed. Someone was knocking on the door.

"Hey!" Loki heard his landlord yell. "Open the door!"

Loki opened the door, as quickly as was possible. He was literally worried that it would brake if the landlord banged on it one more time.

"Is water running in here?" The Landlord asked, gruffly.

"Uh…" Loki paused, looking around the room. He saw water running under the bathroom door, trickling into the bedroom. "No." he said, innocently.

"People downstairs are complaining about water dripping from their ceiling. Your bathroom is above their ceiling." The landlord said, suspiciously. His mustache whiskers twitching. He was clearly angered from being bothered when he'd already been rather cranky and obviously knew Loki was lying.

"Yes… Well…" Loki stuttered, awkwardly.

The landlord barged in and looked around.

Loki blocked him, "Excuse me? I am a god of Asgard and you will most certainly not— I mean… Go ahead, do what must be done…" Loki said, chuckling nervously afterwards.

The landlord gave him a glaring look as if to say _what is wrong with you?_ And went over to the bathroom, glancing down at the floor.

He opened the door and a small slush of water washed over his shoes and a bit of his pants.

"This is Aberkromby!" He yelped, stepping away from the stream of water.

Loki wasn't sure what Aberkromby meant, but the landlord was furious. His face was as red as a tomato and he was shaking slightly.

"Well," Loki said pausing a moment, as he looked at the puddle of water slowly, depressingly, finding its way to his own shoes, and gulped, "That is quite the debacle."

"Get out." The landlord said, seething.

Loki grabbed his bag, the only thing he had besides the clothes he wore, that was actually empty, found in the dumpster and being used as a prop, to make the idea of him having money believable to the now irrelevant landlord.

He walked out the door, leaving the fuming man; stepped down the stairs and ran out into the streets.

"Don't come back!" he heard the landlord yell at him as he hastened away. The landlord was clearly overreacting, nevertheless he knew he wouldn't be staying the night there again.

The weather was freezing cold and he shivered in his long sleeved button-up and jeans. He'd never shivered before in his life because he'd always been a frost giant, regardless of his knowing it, but now that he was human he was shivering a lot and he didn't really appreciate the experience much.

Looking out the display window of a clothes shop, he could see some coats.

He opened the door of the shop and heard the sound of a bell clang pleasantly as, even more pleasantly, he was enveloped by the artificial warmth of the shop.

"Welcome to 'Hemsworth's Clothes Wear'." A bored looking woman, looking to be in at least her middle forties, sighed in a monotone voice.

Loki searched around and realized he knew nothing about any of the strange apparel. He didn't want to ask the lady's opinion when he was thieving from her; so he grabbed a black overcoat and a green scarf, allowing his color preferences to choose for him.

He wasn't going to pay; he couldn't. He had no money and he was sure the lady would spare some clothes rather than let him freeze until he was too numb to feel his own face, so, holding tight onto the clothes, he walked passed her, in a hurry.

"Hey? Where do think you're going?! You haven't payed!" the woman yelled as he walked out the door, "That's Abercrombie!"

Loki rushed back outside, the cold rushing over him immediately. He pulled on the coat and scarf and held his arms into each other for warmth.

And he walked hastily away from the shop.

Now he had nowhere to sleep for the night and he didn't know what he was going to do about that, but he did know one thing and that was that he needed to find Thor, who would surely be on 'Avengers Tower' by now, consulting his companions. Thor had often discussed to Loki the happenings on the newly named tower while Loki was imprisoned on Asgard.

The oaf always believed Loki would find remorse; but Loki had _always_ been remorseful, even if he was too cowardly to act on it, he had always felt guilt. He could _feel_ the pain of all who had suffered at his hands, at every millisecond of every day of the week, he felt guilt and it made his chest hurt and his head ache and his thoughts would constantly revert to graphic images of the battle in Manhattan.

Desperate cries and screams of the people: _"MOMMY! HELP! HELP, MOMMY! HELP ME, MOMMY!"_ " _HELP!" "HELP!" "HELP!"_ No one had helped them. At that moment Loki had turned away and squeezed his eyes shut, in an attempt to ignore it, but he could still here them and he could still hear them then, in the freezing cold.

Loki doubted Thor would forgive him, and he doubted he could forgive Odin, who had treated him so poorly; but he could not be biased when Asgard depended on him, he couldn't be what he was before, he had to be brave.

Loki walked into the direction of 'Avengers Tower', in the hopes of aiding the Avengers and saving his home.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

R-r-r-r-r-ring! R-r-r-r-r-ring!

A ringing sound swept over the room. _Who could this be?_ _This late? What time is it?_ Bruce thought, exasperated.

Bruce scrambled in the covers and slapped his hands on the, loudly ringing, phone and picked it up.

Tony was contacting him.

He sighed irritated and tiredly flipped the phone open, holding it to his ear,

"Ban, my man!" He heard Tony's voice say in the phone, cheerfully.

"It's two in the morning, Tony." Bruce groaned, rubbing at his tired eyes.

"No, it's not. It's four-thirty, in the afternoon, _Bruce_." Tony said, cheekily.

"Not in India." Bruce said, calmly.

"Touché." He heard Tony say through the phone. "I've got my private jet parked up for you and Nat. You'll be sure to spot it. We're in desperate need of you crazy kids." The phone hung up. Bruce groaned again, as he crawled out of the comforts of his bed.

He dialed Natasha's number. For a while it made its buzzing noise and didn't answer and then "Yeah?" he heard Natasha's muffled voice, "What's going on, Bruce? I'm kind of in the middle of something." He heard shooting in the background.

"Tony needs us in New York. He's got us a jet to travel in." Bruce said.

"Shield could've given us a jet… Did you ask him why?" Natasha asked after Bruce heard a bang that sounded a lot like an explosion.

"No. Are you alright?" Bruce asked.

"I'm fine—" BANG! "—I'll meet up with you when I'm done."

"Okay." Bruce shut the phone. Now that they were dating he felt nervous about her doing anything dangerous but he hadn't said anything yet. After all, it's what happens and what one has to deal with when you decide to date a SHIELD agent whose constantly working in the field.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Natasha shut the phone and shot at another grunt with her gun, before dodging a thrown knife.

She sprinted behind the wall, the grunts still shooting at her direction.

She wiped sweat off her brow and sighed before, showing herself for a split second, from behind the wall and managing to shoot two more.

She was out of ammunition, but there was only one more in the hall now and there'd just be more if she waited.

She ran out from behind the wall and hastily ran towards him, dodging every bullet skillfully, kicking the gun out of the man's hands and knocking him out with the back of his own weapon.

She was holding onto a knapsack which carried inside an ancient alien artifact that needed to be brought back to SHIELD headquarters.

She was currently in the headquarters of a fairly new regime that had become rapidly populated around the world and was becoming a pain in SHIELDs ass: WWAR. No one knew what the initials meant yet, but their goal was to make superweapons, with the help of Alien technology and SHIELDs job in regards to that was to stop them from reaching their full potential.

She had to move fast before more grunts appeared so she ran as fast as she could, stopping to knock out several men once in a while.

She stole a grunts suit and posed as them before running into the yard and getting a quick getaway in the Van, driving off at a normal speed, not wanting to gather any attention to herself and have herself be caught.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Loki had walked until his legs were too stiff and cold for him to move any longer and he stumbled to the ground in a heap, lying on the side of a building.

He could barely keep his eyes open and he was shivering madly but he was so close… to the… tower…

Loki fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Bruce stepped out and saw a jet before him, stylized in the same way as the Iron-Man suit.

"Well, so much for being low-key…"

* * *

Thank you all for reviewing, following and claiming favoritism and thank you all so much for taking the time to read yet a second chapter of 'Blankly Blue'! I really appreciate it and the next chapter will come up next week, give or take a few days.


	3. Just Dandy

**Disclaimer:** Just as before, I own nothing that is owned by someone else!

 **A/N:** Hello again! I have returned with another chapter, (I just can't help myself for some reason!) with the hopes of you kind people to enjoy!

* * *

The floor was hard. It was damp. Everything hauntingly silent except for the water dripping from the ceiling into a puddle mixed with blood; each drop an echo.

It was almost too dark to see, but through the light of a torch glazing in front of his cell, Loki could make out the shadows of the night.

The shadows will move without expectance and dance in the fire lit prison, lurking towards him with fire in their dead eyes and insults on their dirty tongues.

They will move forward, sneers strong and hateful, grins wide and crazed and seize of him his every thought and replace them with nothing but fear. So _much fear! SO MUCH FEAR!_

He wasn't sure when they'd come. He'd lie in the corner, in wait. He'd tremble violently, in fear. He could not stop this. It was inevitable and completely _terrifying!_

He never knew when he'd see their shadows stir, he never knew when they'd come. But he knew they would come. They _will come. They will come and grab him and cut and burn and slash until he is absolutely nothing and then they will leave and he will wait until next time! He will wait and wait and wait, until next time!_

It was such an overwhelming and helpless thought. He has _NO CONTROL!_

He squeezed his eyes shut. _I AM. HOME! I AM. SAFE! THEY CAN'T FIND ME HERE! THEY CAN'T HAVE ME HERE!_

At the sound of a scuttling rodent he would jump and turn his head in all directions, cowering more than ever in the menacing darkness of his own thoughts and of reality itself.

They could come at any time, and they would. They _WILL! THEY WILL! THEY WILL COME! THEY WILL FIND HIM! AND THEY WILL DO EVERYTHING TO HIM. EVERYTHING! And then they will leave him in wait of next time!_

 _They are coming! They are coming! THEY ARE COMING!_ _ **THEY ARE COMING! OH GODS! OH, GODS! THEY ARE COMING! THEY ARE COMIN—**_

Loki awoke with a start.

Another nightmare. He should have gotten used to them by now, but he definitely was not.

Shaking terribly, for more reasons than one, he looked around him. It was at least ten O' clock and more cold than ever.

He felt something warm and soft lying on him. Looking down, he saw a large, furry, lump, lying precariously on his lap. He shifted a little and it moved, looking up at him with tired eyes. It was a dog; a mutt if he was to be exact and her face could be seen from the bright and colorful lights of the city.

The dog must have been at least six or five, though her tired eyes gave the impression that she had lived a hundred years and had seen much in that time. Her hair was ragged, shaggy, and slightly wired-haired, but soft. Her eyes were a brilliant black-rimmed brown, and her fur was brown with grey blotches here and there and a gold and grey stomach and chest.

Loki thought that, though she smelt of dirt and old recycled vegetables, she was a magnificent and gorgeous dog.

She looked up at his eyes and, after a few moments of staring as if asking for permission, she nuzzled his hand and crawled nearer to his side.

She licked his face and he chuckled lightly, as he petted her matted hair.

A ghost of a smile forming in his features.

He stood up, sighing.

As much as he wanted to, he could not stay with this dog. He had to move forward and fix what he had started.

As he walked on the sidewalk more determinedly then before, the dog followed suit, her shaggy hair glistening in the street lights of the city.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Bruce sat by the 'Starko Jet', as it was called, in wait of Natasha, who was on a SHIELD mission and was running late.

He decided he might as well see if he couldn't call her again, so he flipped open his handy phone, dialed her number and let the phone buzz in his ear.

"Yeah?" Came Natasha's less muffled then before, voice. "You need to stop calling me when I'm on missions. You might get me killed." He heard her say.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm behind you." He could almost feel the smile creep on her face as she said this.

Bruce turned around to see Natasha, at least ten feet away from him, smiling her radiant smile that she only gave to him. It was an endearing, genuine, and sweet kind of smile; a lot different than the one she gave mockingly or manipulatively to people; it was the kind of smile that said 'I love you, and it was the kind of smile that made you want to smile too and he did.

She strode over to him, grinning and looking into his eyes the whole way, stopping when they were nearly an inch away from each other.

She held the nape of his neck in her soft but firm hands and leaned forward, giving him a short, sweet, kiss and he followed the action instinctively; hands planted on her hips.

"Did you miss me?" she whispered in his ear, before pulling away and looking at him, contentedly. He gave his answer with another smile.

"Well…" Natasha said softly, pausing. And then, in her normal voice, "Let's see what Stark needs us for this time." Then she friskily went over to the jet and climbed inside, Bruce following suit.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Tony was sitting on his couch, listening to Metallica, nose deep in a book.

He didn't want anyone to know this, but he was actually really, _really_ NOT looking forward to the trip to Asgard they were taking. Who would be? He didn't like to think of himself as xenophobic, but really? Asgard? The first magic Viking he met through him out a window and brought an army of aliens, along with giant flying, armored, wails, for Christ's sake! Thor expected him to just… Just go to an _entirely_ different world!?

And what would they do there, anyways? Why did Thor even need the Avengers? Did he expect Tony and Bruce to do their human science and figure this out for him? They didn't know a thing about magic and Tony was pretty sure magic had more to do with this than science, so he didn't know what Thor expected them to do about the whole ordeal.

They might be earth's mightiest freaking heroes, but Asgard? Asgard was different which was a humongous understatement.

Are the soldiers and agents of Asgard really SO liable to cause an uproar of panic… they wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut? Are they super gossipers or something?—

"Tony?" Steve said, behind him, still wearing his suit.

Tony sighed, annoyed and turn to face Steve on the couch, putting his book down as he did, "What?" he grumbled, annoyed at Steve for exterminating his thought process. "Why are you wearing your PJs still? 'Haven't gotten the gist that we're leaving in at least tomorrow?"

"These aren't PJs, Tony, but if they were I don't see any wrong from wearing them at this hour."

"Yup. Because this is the time you go to bed, isn't it."

Steve furrowed his brows a little, "Actually I would have usually gone to bed at least three hours ago."

"I'm not surprised." Tony said, before turning and picking up the book he was reading.

Steve shifted ever so slightly and asked "Tony, are you okay?"

"Dandy."

"You good with Pepper?"

Tony turned to face Steve again. "What makes you think any of that is your business?"

"Well, you're my friend Tony, Pepper too. I just noticed that you guys weren't really talking as much at all and wondered if anything was wrong." Steve said, in an honest voice.

Tony sighed. Steve was right; he and Pepper hadn't been on good terms, but he really didn't want to talk about it at that moment and it wasn't any of Steve's business anyways. "Like I said,' Tony said, "Dandy."

"But you guys seem so—"

"Dandy. As dandy as a dandelion."

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Loki walked on, almost strutting, with a sense of inspired confidence.

'Avengers Tower' loomed among the tallest buildings, magnificent and regal.

He would tell Thor the information he needed to know and he would do it without thinking of himself! He was going to tell him regardless of what fear or shame he had. This was bigger than him. MUCH bigger. He could do this. Yes he could…

There was Avengers Tower, looming over him, so that he could no longer see half of it, but he didn't feel small in the ginormous presence of the skyscraper; on the contrary, it made him feel big and brave.

There were the doors. Mighty and powerful, just like the… Avengers. He could definitely do this. This was easy and simple and he could do this.

Pushing the clear glass door, he stepped inside. There he saw a tight-bun-wearing receptionist, something or other, sitting at a desk.

She glanced at him, unimpressed and went back to whatever she was doing on the information-box that Selvig had once referred to as a 'computer'.

"Excuse me?" Loki said, approaching the women.

"The Avengers won't be seeing anyone at the moment. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"I can wait."

"I'm afraid you'll have to. We lock up at 10:30. It's exactly 10:26, at the moment." The women got up, grabbing her bag. "You'll have to come back later."

She walked off, clearly indifferent to the entire situation.  
"I'm a SHIELD agent!" Loki called over to her. She turned around and looked at him suspiciously. "I have important and extremely classified information for the Avengers initiative that needs to be informed in person for security reasons."

She made her unimpressed face again and crossed her arms, "And if I call SHIELD up and ask them about that?"

Loki sighed, "Fair enough." He said. He was going to sleep in a gutter that night, wasn't he?!

He walked out the doors looking at the giant tower, with a lot less enthusiasm and fearlessness than before.

The cold crept on his shoulders, like a familiar enemy and he sighed again.

The dog had been waiting for him, apparently. She stood up as she saw him and wiggled her tale jollily.

He walked over to the side of the building, a familiar feeling, except this time he had a companion in the dog who crept over to him and snuggled next to him.

That night, he fell asleep quicker than usual.

* * *

Thanks you all so much for reading and be sure to tell me what you think and if it's any good, until next time! I can't wait for the next chapter where Loki finally gets his confrontation with Thor and the Avengers!

-P.H.


	4. Flurry of Confusion

**Disclaimer:** Just as before, I own nothing that is owned by someone else. Avengers belongs to Marvel, etcetera, etcetera!

 **AN:** I'm back, guys, with another chapter. Thanks for reading and, as always, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter and have a wonderful time!

* * *

When Bruce and Natasha arrived on top of Avengers Tower, in the Starko Jet, it was cold and windy; a noticeable change for them, given the fact that they had just come back from India.

The ship was run by an Artificial Intelligence, so they hadn't had anyone driving them there.

They'd been eating gummy-bears the whole way through, courtesy of Tony's humor, so, although the cold wasn't too pleasing, they were excited to be there to have some real food at the Tower.

It had been a good thing they remembered to take their coats with them, but they hadn't expected the brutish cold to hit them so hard; maybe they should have taken an extra layer of coats. And possibly a giant bear-fur.

To their utter confusion Thor was sitting on the side of the tower, on the park bench Tony had installed.

"Thor?" Bruce said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Thor beamed at them, brightly, but somehow it didn't seem like Thor's usual smile, "Thank you, Banner, Romanoff." Thor said, glancing at both of them before saying "This is much appreciated."

"Thor, why are we here?" Natasha asked. Her facial features had tensed up immediately after seeing Thor. She and Bruce both knew something was up if even _Thor_ , the guy who was busy being a prince and getting ready for being a king, was here.

"Worry not for Midgard, Ms. Romanoff and Banner."

Bruce and Natasha looked at him, confused. What else would need helping with, besides earth?

"The issue at hand regards Asgard."

"Wait… What?" Bruce said, confused still.

"Thor, that _does_ regard Earth." Natasha said. They looked at her, not knowing what she meant. "Asgard is an important asset to the protection of earth, so if Asgard is, in any way, in danger then so is Earth." She answered through the icy wind.

"That is true, Ms. Romanoff, but Asgard is the one currently in need of assistance; therefor Asgard is the one that currently needs help."

"No doubt. I'm willing to help Asgard, if it makes Earth safe too." Natasha said.

"Me too." Bruce said, "What's going on with Asgard, anyway?"

"Odin, All-Father, king of Asgard, has been kidnapped. We need to discover who did the kidnapping and where he is; then we must rescue him." Thor said, importantly.

"Where is Stark?" Bruce asked, looking around.

"The Man of Iron went to sleep shortly after he made contact with you." Thor answered.

"Ah." Bruce said, a glint of annoyance in his eyes. Tony went to sleep right after calling him about what sounded like an utter emergency… Perhaps Bruce shouldn't have been so annoyed given who it was, but he was, all the same.

"Wait… Does that mean… We are going to Asgard?" Bruce practically yelled through the wind. He and Natasha were shivering cold.

"I don't understand what troubles all of you. The Bifrost has been restored, so you need not worry about the journey causing any fatalities." Thor said, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Thor, you're asking us to go to an entirely different world." Natasha said.

"There may be, as you Midgardians might call it, a little culture shock. But I am sure you will adjust."

"A _little_ culture shock?" Natasha said, skeptically.

"I have explained all I can." Thor said, "We should now find rest for the morning ahead." He walked away, cape rippling dramatically in the wind. Leaving Bruce and Natasha in the freezing cold, still a bit confused.

Bruce and Natasha exchanged glances before fallowing the thunder god inside the Tower. They were still looking forward to real food and they were really, really dehydrated.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

*The next morning*

Pepper had another meeting in two hours; one that _Tony_ was _supposed_ to be attending with her.

They had been falling apart for months now and they hadn't had sex for at least an entire month, which felt like a year to Pepper, but she somehow suspected felt like a second for Tony Stark.

She understood, of course, that he was busy helping the world and building new, improved, machinery. She wasn't needy, but it was like he was across the world and right in front of her at the same time and it frustrated her to no ends.

She wished he'd tell her what was wrong. She was honestly considering asking him herself, but he seemed so moody of late. She didn't want to start a great row; not with all she already had to worry about with her job, though she knew she would have to eventually broach the subject if he did not and she dreaded that day.

She sighed, as the shrill whistle indicating her hot water was boiled enough screamed at her. She was making herself coffee, in the kitchen of Avengers Tower.

"Is that coffee?" Steve asked, anxiously, as he poked his head inside the doorway.

Pepper chuckled, "Mhmm." She said, "You want some?" she asked, glancing at him after carefully poring the hot water into the coffee maker.

Steve grinned from ear to ear as an answer and Pepper laughed out loud.

"Okay!" she said, before grabbing another mug in the cupboard.

Steve grabbed the chair from out of under the table and sat down.

"Do you need any help?" he asked, glancing at the coffee.

"I could do with some clean dishes." She said, smiling.

Steve went over to the sink and started washing the dishes.

Pepper poured the coffee into both mugs and sat down.

"Thanks." Steve said.

"So…" Steve said, fidgeting, "How has your day been, so far?"

"Okay, I guess." Pepper looked down at her coffee.

Steve glanced at her a few moments, nervously, "Can I talk to you about something?" Steve asked as he finished the last dish and sat down next to her.

"Sure. What's up?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well... It's about you and Tony…"

Steve noticed Pepper tense up.

"Did you guys…Get in an argument or something?" he asked, trying to be as polite as possible.

"No." Pepper said, "That's just the problem. He _won't_ talk to me about what's wrong." She said before she stepped out of her chair and stood up, "Thanks for the concern, Steve, but I really don't want to talk about this right now." Then she left the room, leaving him, and her hardly touched coffee on the table.

Steve sighed, as he looked down at the contents of the dark coffee swirling in his mug.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Loki was lying on something hard and it was colder than ever. But something warm was lying on top of him… The dog.

"Excuse me?" he heard a female voice say. She was probably what woke him up. "Hey, are you okay?"  
He opened his eyes to the bright morning light. He was then awake enough to notice that his face was stinging and a little bit numb from the cold. It was probably a blueish color by now.

He was then greeted by the concerned face of a woman. As his eyes gradually adjusted, he saw that she was a beautiful woman. Her hair was a strawberry blonde.

"Hello. I'm Virginia. Everyone just calls me Pepper…" she said, holding out a hand.

His gaunt face was so pale and his dark circles… he looked ill. She knew this was foolish but she felt a great need to help the poor man, so she held out her hand.

He looked at the hand cautiously.

"Come on. I can help you." she said as she grabbed onto his hands and pulled him up. His hands were bony, shaky, and freezing cold.

She knew she would regret this but she couldn't just leave him out here in this weather.

"Come on." She said softly, leading him inside Avengers Tower.

"Can she come too?" the willowy man asked, glancing at the dog who was following them.

"Um." Pepper glanced at the dog, her sad eyes staring straight at Pepper's eyes. The breed of dog looked to be a German wired-haired pointer. Pepper had had one of those during her childhood. Damn.

She led him and the dirty dog, let's not forget the dirty dog, to the elevator and they went inside. She pressed a few buttons and then they were going up.

He jumped at the sensation of the elevator and glanced around anxiously.

"Never been on an elevator before?" Pepper asked, jokingly.

The strange sensation of the… 'Elevator'… reminded Loki sickly of a lighter version of the Bifrost. He fidgeted around nervously. He was in Avengers Tower… Now all he had to do was face Thor… and the entirety of the Avengers… And Thor.

"What's your dog's name?" The woman asked.

"What?"

"Her… Name? What's your dog's name?"

"Oh… Um." He thought a moment. "Asta." He said.

The elevator stopped and Pepper led him to the table she had talked to Steve in not too long before. Steve was no longer there. Her coffee still looked a bit warm, but she'd probably have to heat it up. She glanced at the homeless man and thought, _"He probably wants something warm and energizing to beverage!"_

"You want me to make you some coffee?"

Loki furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Wha—" he cleared his throat, "What is coffee?" he asked.

The woman laughed at him for some reason which was a bit irritating.

"Well…" she said as she walked around the room grabbing at things and pushing some buttons, "You are about to find out."

o0o0o0o

Tony woke up to the annoying sound of his alarm clock, screaming around his bedroom. Usually, he would appreciate ACDC, but he seemed to be sporting an early headache and he was still very sleepy.

He scratched his back and sluggishly rolled off his bed, tumbling down onto the hard floor.

He sighed, tiredly and stepped out of his room, into the hallway.

Bruce and Natasha were leaning on the hall corner, way too comfortable with each other, and he, Tony, groaned loudly.

"Hey, Tony." Bruce said, smiling.

"Hi," Tony said, grinning at them, "Brucey, Natty." Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Hello, Stark." She said.

"Stark? Aren't we a bit too friendly for 'Stark' by now? I'm hurt." Tony said, holding his hand to his heart for dramatic effect.

"So… Thor's taking us to Asgard?" Bruce said, as they all started walking together, heading for the kitchen.

"Yup." Tony said. "Did anyone else notice he seemed kind of sketchy?"

"I feel like he's not telling us something." Natasha said. "Why does he need us, anyways?"

"We need to give him the benefit of the doubt." They heard from behind. Steve. Awesome.

"Hi, Steve." Tony said, unenthusiastically.

"Hey, Steve." Bruce said, smiling at his friend.

"Guys, I don't think we should be talking about Thor like that." Steve said, seriously, "He's helped us countless of times and we should repay him for that."

They started walking again.

"Let's have waffles for breakfast!" Tony said, leaving the 'Thor' subject for another time.

"I'll make it." Steve readily volunteered, as things began to calm down with them.

"Good morning." They all jumped at the sound of Thor's voice behind them. He was giving them that strange smile again. Something just wasn't genuine about that smile plastered to his face.

"Hey, Thor!" Steve said, politely, as they began to walk again; some feeling a bit awkward given the fact they had just been talking about the big guy.

"Did someone say something about waffles? I have had this Midgardian food and would request to have it once more."

"I'm making waffles, Thor. Sure you can have some." Steve said.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Loki heard voices in the other room, getting louder and louder as they approached. The voices of the Avengers.

He wasn't sure when his heart started banging in his chest, but the more he tried to calm himself down the worst it seemed to become.

His breath hitched a little. Okay. He was okay.

Their voices become louder, as did their footsteps. He could hear Thor.

Suddenly the door swung open and he jumped.

The Avengers stopped in their tracks, eyes meeting Loki's.

Asta began growling at them and Loki was completely petrified.

* * *

I am sorry for the cliff-hanger. Thank you all so much for reading this fourth chapter.

(Asta is inspired by an actual German wired-haired Pointer I had had since I was two; she died a year ago and Asta is to commemorate her. Her name was Belle, which means 'beautiful' and Asta is a Norse name meaning something along the lines of 'Devine Beauty'. She was a kind and motherly towards the other dogs… I have a lot of dogs. I have a lot of fond memories about Belle.)

Until next time, and there will be a next time,

-P.H.


	5. Loki's back

**Disclaimer:** Geez Louise! I told you already I own nothing owned by someone else! *Faints Dramatically*

 **AN:** Hello and thank you all for reading chapter four of 'Blankly Blue'. Have a good time!

* * *

Loki wished he could hide under the table or run or do anything else besides staring at the Avengers like a deer caught in the headlights.

They all had their weapons out and prepared… For him.

His hands began shaking and it wasn't from the chill in the air.

"Guys, I know you've probably got other things on your minds, but where'd the dog come from?" Iron Man asked.

"L-Loki?" Thor said, clearly shocked.

"Pepper." Steve said, confronting the woman, "What is he doing here?" he asked her, softly.

"H-He looked like he needed help." Pepper sputtered out; she clearly hadn't expected such strong reactions from everyone. "H-he was out in the cold and I— what's wrong? Who is he?" Pepper asked, glancing at Loki.

"Loki." Natasha answered Pepper's question. Black Widow was glaring Loki down hard, making him all the more nervous, uncomfortable and all around unnerved.

Loki stared at them, his eyes as wide as saucers.

Moments later, iron clashed with the orb of light on the ceiling above, as it enveloped all over Iron Man, leaving him in his suit of armor. Flinched ever so slightly.

Thor just staring at Loki, until he walked towards him and presented him with one of his mighty bear-hugs… Which hurt a lot more than usual, given Loki's state and the fact that he was now human.

"Brother." Thor said, his voice shaking ever so slightly. Loki would not have been surprised if the buffoon started crying right then and there.

Thor had been hugging him for a long time and it had begun to get awkward, well, at least more awkward than it had already been. When Thor had finally realized the awkwardness he let go of Loki and turned to the other Avengers.

"Worry not," Thor said, "Have not I told you already? Loki is a brave and honorable hero!"

Loki winced at what Thor said. None of that was actually true and Thor was about to find that out for himself.

"Then what is he doing here?" Natasha Romanoff asked.

Loki really disliked being the center of attention, regardless of how others perceived him differently.

Tony thought Loki looked like a Tim Burton character. His face was pale and he was a lot smaller than the genius had remembered. He looked fragile and his dark circles were evident on his face. His cheekbones were a lot more defined and his eyes, rather than being filled with fiery hatred and arrogance, were filled with surprise, fear and vulnerability and were very, very tired looking. He hadn't kept his eyes off the weapons that the Avengers and Tony had ready. Tony felt rather silly for wearing his Iron Man suit against this foe, but one should never underestimate another by appearances, as he had come to learn so often before.

"Brother, what are you doing here?"

"I—" Loki choked on his words. The Avengers were all staring at him with hostility. They had lowered their weapons a little, but they could still strike him within seconds. "I—" his eyes had begun to water. _Oh, no. Please don't cry! Why are you crying? Please don't cry! Stop! Stop!_

He just felt so completely overwhelmed!

Loki attempted to hide his face in his hands. He felt so embarrassed and uncomfortable!

The Avengers were still watching him with waveringly weary eyes. They were clearly beginning to think him weak. _Stop crying! Stop! Stop! Stop! Sto—_

"Erm… You doin' alright, Bambi?" Iron Man said.

"Come." Thor whispered something to the Avengers before he led Pepper and them, though they seemed rather reluctant, out. He then sat down on the chair to face Loki.

"Are you alright, brother?" Thor asked, concern in his eyes, "Loki?"

Loki was no longer crying, but during that time he had, without noticing, planted his face on the table and he _really_ didn't want to move it from there. He did not want to face the almighty Thor. His face was probably red and definitely tear stricken.

"Perfectly fine, thank you." he said, his voice muffled in the table.

"I thought you dead, Loki." Thor said. Loki could feel his eyes watching him; it made him feel uncomfortable and small.

"My apologies. It's a naughty habit." The former god said, attempting to sound indifferent. His voice had cracked a little bit; he hoped Thor hadn't noticed.

The room had fallen unnervingly silent, after a while.

"Loki. Look at me. Please, brother." Thor pleaded.

Loki had then come to the realization that he was being cowardly and childish to not face Thor, so, with that in mind, he slowly lifted his head up.

Asta nuzzled his hands, almost encouragingly, as she stood by his side.

He could see Mjolnir hanging from Thor's straps. Thor could kill him with it at that very moment.

He looked up at Thor, but avoided looking into his eyes, rather opting to look at a stray strand of blonde hair on the right side of Thor's forehead.

"What happened, Loki? I don't understand." Thor asked.

Loki knew this was the time to speak. The avengers were not here to act on their hostilities and Thor seemed as though he might not hurt him, but Loki still felt as nervous as ever.

"Did you trick Ms. Potts?" Thor asked.

"Wh—" Loki coughed, "What?"

"Ms. Potts, Loki? Did you trick her?" Thor asked again.

Loki blinked, "What? No. No, she was just being… nice."

Loki's blood was banging in his ears and his chest had begun to ache with anxiety.

"Th-Thor?" he sputtered, concentrating his sight on anything but his brother. "Thor… As you have most likely discovered, Odin has gone missing."  
He felt Thor tense up.

"What have you done, Loki?" he said, knowingly.

Somehow Thor didn't seem surprised by Loki's not being dead. But Loki suspected Thor had probably become accustomed at that rate to Loki's 'not actually dead' stunts.

Loki took a deep breath and exhaled, causing his chest to sear up a bit, "Thor I need to tell you… A lot. Please listen and let me speak and try to… Understand." Loki said, slowly.

Thor nodded, quietly.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

The Avengers all stood behind the door behind the kitchen.

Steve was feeling ambivalent about the entire situation. He trusted Thor's judgement, but with Loki it was different. Loki was an enemy of earth and he didn't want to offend Thor, but that meant that no matter what Loki was not to be trusted or treated as a friend in any way. How was he even alive anyways? Thor had told them the trickster had died…

"Stop eavesdropping." Steve said to the others, firmly. He wouldn't have any disrespect towards individual teammates.

Tony just rolled his eyes at Steve and went back to holding his ear up to the door, shamelessly. "Aren't we all kind of eavesdropping, just by being here?"

Steve glared at him.

Bruce wasn't eavesdropping. He respected other's privacy regardless of how curious he got. Usually.

Loki had looked rather ill and very unhealthy. Bruce could note right away that he was hiding something… But rather than some villainous scheme or malevolent trick, he saw that Loki was most certainly hiding some sort of trauma. Still yet, Loki actually seemed a little saner. Regardless of his even crazier looking look, Loki actually looked and seemed saner! But maybe that was all in the doctor's head. None of these observations meant he felt sorry for Loki. Loki was unstable and unpredictable, he could not be trusted, even if Thor vouched for him. Even if Loki had good intentions then he might change his mind and start destroying something or kill someone.

Tony didn't need to ask why Loki was actually alive, even though Thor had said otherwise. Loki was smart, cunning and Thor wasn't stupid, per se, but he could definitely be tricked by the infamous trickster. Tony weighed the possibility that Loki was actually alive a while ago and even then he believed him to be, most likely, living.

Loki didn't seem as arrogant, and that was odd. He didn't seem so bat-shit crazy, and that was odder.

The number one question Tony had was: Why was Loki _their?_

Tony couldn't actually see any indication, but he knew odds were the manipulative little shit was planning something or other. He was probably fake crying too.

He suspected Loki was planning on playing the vulnerability card, though that seemed like something Loki would be too prideful to take on. All he could be completely sure of was Loki was planning _something._ It was obvious what the plan was about; infiltrating the Avengers base and getting information or something out of them or revenge… Okay maybe there were more reasons than one. _How_ Loki was going to carry out his plan was another question to ask. Tony Stark didn't know what the reindeer was planning, but he didn't trust Loki with a ten-foot pole. The dude threw him out a window and practically destroyed Manhattan.

Natasha stood by the door, next to Tony. She too was trying to listen in on the conversation too, though a lot more subtly than Tony.

Natasha didn't like to think she was one to hold grudges over people, but she could feel herself screaming with a hatred inside.

She had indeed heard the tails spoken by Thor of how Loki had assisted him and had died a hero's death. But she still did not trust the bastard and she strongly doubted any of the other Avengers did.

Why was Loki there? Why wasn't he dead? Natasha could tell right away that his presence would lead to something bad. She knew she would have to convince Thor of this fact, though the other Avengers didn't need any convincing. They knew how dangerous Loki could be.

Thor was brainwashed by the fact that Loki was his brother, but Natasha would not in hell let that compromise them.

Brother or no brother, hero or no hero, Loki was still classified as an enemy of earth and for good and real purposes.

Natasha had made a certain promise regarding the mischief-maker that she planned to carry out. She had to tell _him._ She would also have to tell SHIELD about this, though she really didn't want to get on Thor's bad side. He may seem like a big fluffy teddy bear at times, but he could snap her neck with his bare hands within seconds. She did _have_ to tell SHIELD though. Nevertheless, she would do it a little later.

"Guys, I'm going to use the restroom." Natasha said so no one would wonder where she went. The others looked up at her a moment and Bruce nodded.

"Natty, we don't need all this information." Tony said, ear still crushing the door. "I regret making these doors soundproof."

She stepped through the halls until she got to her own bedroom, that was soundproof and had several other things installed as well for perfect privacy.

Picking up her untraceable phone, she dialed an all too familiar number and the phone began buzzing as she held it to her ear.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Clint was looking out the window at his beautiful wife, Laura, who was swinging Cooper and Lila on the swings in turn. Nathaniel was too small still, so he waddled about the yard while Laura kept a close eye on him. They were all wearing cute little coats that made them look like fluffy marshmallows.

Nathanial toppled over in the wind and Laura went to his aid. Clint laughed out loud. He knew the boy was okay.

The News had said that it was going to snow soon— the kids will love that. He might take the older ones sledding this year.

Clint smiled. He felt as though this was going to be a beautiful and peaceful day.

He was about to step outside to greet them when he heard the sound of his phone ringing on the table.

He walked over to the table and picked it up.

 **Nat is calling**

His smile faded away fast.

He sighed and picked it up. "Nat?"

"Clint. He's here." Nat said, through the phone.

Clint furrowed his brows, confused, "That's kind of cryptic, Nat…" Clint said. Clint knew a lot of he's this he could be anyone that wasn't female— _no shit, Clint!_

"No, Clint. _He's_ back. Loki." Natasha said.

Clint blinked. "What?"

"Loki's back. He's in Avengers Tower."

Clint sighed in frustration as he walked over to the window again. _Loki was back, Loki was back._ It was the only thing his mind could think. His life was supposed to be _normal!_

"Thanks for telling me, Natasha." He said as he flipped the phone closed.

He sighed again, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he looked at his wife and kids again.

He couldn't just leave, that would be completely selfish to them. Then he was hit by an epiphany; what was _really_ selfish was him being too cowardly to face the son of a bitch and keep his family safe from him.

Clint knew what he had to do.

He grabbed a few things for the trip in haste but stopped dead in his tracks as he stared at the chest with his bow and arrows inside.

He opened the chest and held his bow high, before putting it back in and picking up the chest.

He stepped outside, greeted by unsuspecting smiles.

"Daddy!"

He walked to his car and put his things inside the car.

"Clint? Where are you going?" Laura asked, confused.

Clint sighed once more. "I need to take care of some things. I'll be back in a few days, maybe weeks." Who knows what would come up?

She smiled a sad understanding smile and he did too, before he stepped into his car and drove off.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Loki finished. His hands were shaking, his heart was banging in his chest, and he was looking down at the table, at the 'coffee' he had still not tried out.

Thor sighed.

"Brother… I believe that… If you aided us in helping save Father, that would restore your honor. Only then will I forgive you." the thunder god said.

Loki looked up at Thor; this answer was more than Loki had hoped for. Thor was willing to forgive him, if he helped then further by taking them. He couldn't _tell_ Thor where Odin was. It was a bit too difficult to explain in words so he would _have_ to show Thor.

"Thank you… for not killing me." Loki said, chuckling a bit, in relief.

Thor cracked a painful looking smile.

Loki was feeling slightly less upset, but he still had to show them where Odin was and how to infiltrate where he is and save him… Which would mean, of course, that he had to also face Odin after helping kidnap him. Wonderful.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Tony was still listening through the door… Crap! It has already begun, the manipulative little Anti-Christ— then the door swung open and hit his nose.

"Ugh… Crap!" he yelled.

Bruce came to Tony's aid. His nose wasn't bleeding and it wasn't broken or anything serious, but it probably really, really hurt.

"That's what happens, Tony." Steve said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Shut up, Charlie Chaplin." Tony groaned.

"I'm not that old, Tony." Steve said, irritation soaked in his voice like a dirty washcloth.

Natasha came in just in time to witness the event. "What's going on exactly…?"

Thor just stood there, confused.

"But, really, guys... Where does the dog come in, in all of this?" Tony asked, nursing his nose.

* * *

Thank you all for all the kind feedback and for simply taking the time to read my story; it is all very much appreciated. Until next time,

-P.H.


	6. But, Barton, why?

**Disclaimer:** Everything that is owned by someone else is disclaimed.

 **AN:** Sorry it took so long with the updating, had a cold but I think it's wavered enough and Halloween and the new Sunday dinner thing my Mom has conducted, being homeschooled, blah, blah, blah. Anywho, thank you all for reading this sixth chapter and I hope you have a spectacular time doing so.

* * *

"Thor, we have to tell SHIELD. Loki is an enemy of Asgard." Natasha Romanoff said.

They had locked Loki in a small room with a small bed and no windows and Loki could hear them from the other room.

Every yell bellowed in retaliation against Loki made him flinch and shudder and even shake a little, because though he could not even see them he knew they had all the control over him and at that moment he was sickly reminded of his hopelessness against the Chitauri and their true leader and it made him feel as though he would vomit.

He had told Thor much but he had yet to tell him one thing. He was now human. How would Thor react? He would find more shame in him, that's how Thor would react and Loki did not want him or anyone else to see anymore weakness than they already did.

"Thor, we have to be reasonable about this." This time it was Banner that chimed in. Oddly enough, this surprised Loki, for though Mr. Banner was intelligent and his logic was usually sound, he seldom spoke. Loki didn't think he was insecure, just a little introverted and Loki could relate to that. And there was the fact, he noted, that Mr. Banner and Ms. Romanoff seemed rather pleasant with one another. He never would have guessed Romanoff one for anything romantic, but somehow it seemed to fit. Though he could not find any wisdom in the folly that is courting with someone you are simultaneously working with, especially in _their_ line of work.

They were going to take him to SHIELD, he just knew it. Thor could argue with them all he wanted to, but they were going to give him up to SHIELD after he was done helping them. He should have been able to anticipate this. He supposed he had been having a difficult time being thorough with any plans he created, due to… other worries and difficulties.

"Look, Hercules," he heard Mr. Stark begin. He wondered why Stark was always branding people with nicknames, the references of which he usually did not recognize; he found it rather annoying. "We can't have Rudolph—" Who is Rudolph? Are they not supposed to be worrying about Loki? "—living here forever. I hate to say this but SHIELD needs to know about this shit." Ah, Stark was simply calling him by another one of his many nicknames.

Though Stark was often crude and flippant when he spoke, there was usually an underlying logic in his words. Loki supposed that was why the others dealt with him so patiently; he was a genius after all. "I understand how you feel about your bro…" Tony started again, "Wait, no. I'm lying, I've never had a brother so I actually _wouldn't_ know. Sorry, I'm rambling now. I ramble a lot, too much in fact. You know, I think by now I could call rambling a sort of hobby—"

"Stark, that's enough!" Mr. Rogers practically yelled at Stark. Rogers was highly officious and self-righteous, he reminded Loki of the soldiers on Asgard. Though Mr. Stark did in fact deserve the Captain yelling at him, for his rude behavior.

Oh, gods… They were going to take him to Asgard again after SHIELD, weren't they? Yes, yes they were.

He wished he could see Asta just about then. She reminded him of his— Thor's mother, Frigga.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Barton was finally there, walking on the footsteps that lead to the entrance of Avengers Tower. He had parked his car in an apartment not far from there and had walked the rest of the way there. No good ever came from raising suspicion, so he had to be as inconspicuous as possible.

He had never been one for planning and had always been rather rash so he was lucky SHIELD had taught him to be better at learning to conquer his impulses. That's why he took his best bow, with his _best_ arrow, the arrow Thor had given to him before he, Barton, left SHIELD and the avengers for good for if he ever needed it. The arrow might not be able to kill the 'god', Loki that is, but it will certainly have a torturous effect on him.

Barton wasn't usually so… Sadistic, but in regards to Loki he was too vindictive and filled with anger and hatred to consider the morals of the situation very clearly. Loki had taunted him too long already.

He doubted Thor had wanted or expected him to use his gift, the arrow, on his brother, but honestly he didn't give two squirrels up in a tree if Thor cared or not. This was _his_ time for justice and he needed his vengeance more than anything. He'd be lying if he were to say that he hadn't dreamed of this since after Loki left earth.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Tony was getting a bit annoyed with Steve and his blind faith in Thor and the rest and their blind faith in SHIELD, well, except for Bruce who he doubted really cared as much for authority as Nat. The guy probably just wanted the crazy-ass Christmas tree to be out and gone and Tony couldn't blame him. Loki was a danger to them all. But, truth be told, they were most safe with Loki being in the tower. After all, Tony hacks into SHIELD all the time as a hobby-like pastime to see what the men in black are up to and SHIELD hadn't even found out yet. They're a bunch of dumbasses! Loki is much safer in the confines of Avengers Tower. For now, that is. They couldn't babysit him forever.

"I thought humans had unsurpassable compassion." Thor argued dramatically.

"Well, guess what? We don't— Thor, it is our duty. We have to hand Loki over to SHIELD." Natasha argued.

"You—"

"—can't just leave a dangerous criminal lying around? You took the words right out of my mouth." Natasha said.

"No… I… what?" Thor said, confused for a moment. "NO! Loki is my responsibility and _I_ am fully capable of keeping him out of mischief!"

"Thor you have to listen to reason. Loki's a criminal and a murderer. He has caused mass genocide." Natasha argued.

"How dare you say that?!" Thor yelled.

And then they began talking, no yelling, over each other and interrupting each other's sentences like there was no tomorrow. Natasha was calm, for the most part, but her voice was raised almost as high as Thor's booming voice. His face was red with anger and frustration and maybe a little sweaty. She was completely calm on the outside, but her clenching fists told a different story; one consisting mostly of frustration. He started spitting as he yelled, mouth writhing and eyes as heated as fire. Okay, maybe the writhing part isn't really true, but nonetheless this row was getting really, really loud and kind of abusive.

"Okay, guys." Tony said over the noise. Steve had begun arguing as well, in his whiny Steve voice. Bruce tried to speak over all the noise in an attempt to be the voice of reason, though he looked to be giving up at that point.

Loki was probably laughing by now. Tony knew he could hear them through the walls. Tony was suddenly hit with a sense of déjà vu.

"Okay, guys." They still didn't hear him. "OKAY, GUYS…" they still didn't hear him, "OKAY, GUYS!" He finally yelled through the top of his lungs and everyone jumped a little, or at least he'd like to believe. And then there was an awkward silence.

"Oookay, guys." Tony started, "Look, Loki says he knows where the king of Asgard is… We can't really fully trust that he's telling the truth, villainous god of lies and all that, but what have we really got to lose? A game of monopoly? All he has to do is tell us where Odin is. He doesn't need to do go with us. We can just keep him here while we follow his direct—"

"NO!" Thor yelled. Everyone looked at him strangely, "I mean… Loki must go with us, how else will I be able to look after him? He must accompany us." Thor finished, obviously stuck in his ways. Fantabulous.

Tony sighed. He really wanted to bang his head on something… or better yet he wanted to bang someone else's head on something.

Thor looked at them as they looked back with unconvinced faces.

The big man opened the door to the little room Loki was confined in and practically dragged his brother out by the arm.

"Look!" Thor said to the avengers, gesturing to Loki.

Tony looked a moment. Loki looked startled and confused, his eyes wider than usual and he was kinda jumpy looking as usual. He also looked as though he were fighting back a whimper over the arm Thor was gripping and that seemed rather silly given his status... "Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking at." Tony finally said.

Thor practically growled in frustration. "Look! Does he look like he currently has any malevolent motives or feats to carry out?" Thor asked.

"Umm…" Tony got right in Loki's face and looked into his eyes before backing away with a leap, like Peter Pan, "Yes. Yes, I think he plans to make us watch re-runs of Barney and friends. Nefarious indeed."

He heard Bruce sigh in quiet exasperation, probably rubbing the roof of his nose right about then. Poor guy needed a break.

"Do NOT jest over this, Stark." Thor growled, still gripping Loki's arm. Tony grimaced at how bruised _his_ arm would be if he were Loki, since this was obviously hurting Loki himself to some small extant. Wow.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Barton knew the tower well, though it had been a while since his last visit.

The tower would automatically allow him entrance, understanding his status as a former and potential future officer of the mighty avengers.

"Computer, where are the avengers?" He knew where he would find the avengers, he would find him too.

' _The Avengers are inside the secondary living room.'_

Barton listened to the computer as he followed the pathing leading to the avengers and Loki.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Thor was still gripping Loki's arm. Natasha was giving Loki her rare evil death glare she only gave those whom she truly despised and not _just_ trying to intimidate. Bruce looked like he was having a small migraine. Tony _was_ having a small migraine.

"Let's just look at the basics." Tony started, "If two plus two is—"

"Tony—"

"—IF two plus two is four…" Tony began again, glaring at Steve slightly. "Then plus means adding." He began gesturing with his hands, "If Loki plus info on Odin's whereabouts equals finding Odin and having an annoying demigod for a short limited while I don't see what the huge deal is. We use Loki's knowledge to our advantage, find Odin and send them both back to Ass-gard where they belong."

Suddenly, something zoomed pass and Loki fell out of Thor's grip onto the ground with a thud.

Red stuff… Blood spewing everywhere and an arrow sticking out of the arm that Thor was gripping just moments ago.

Loki was shaking violently, his face turned pale and his hands quivering as Thor knelt down beside him.

"Thor, I need you to move." Bruce said, as he knelt down beside Thor and Loki.

Tony recognized that arrow from somewhere… He turned to see where the arrow had come from and... Crap.

* * *

Thank you for reading this and I am sorry for the epically evil cliff-hanger :'( (I was Dr. Gregory House for Halloween, if anyone wants to know.) Until next time,

P.H.


	7. Angry and Powerful People and Gods

**Disclaimer:** Still own nothing owned by other people

 **AN:** Thank you all so much for coming back for this seventh chapter of 'Blankly Blue'. May you all have an awesome time 24/7!

* * *

It had all happened so fast and it had completely taken Tony, as well as just about all of them, off guard.

How did they not see Barton there? Where the freaking frack did he come from? Damn assassins and their ninja habits. How did he know Loki was there? But it was then that Tony realized the obvious answer to his last question and that answer was, no other than the obvious, Natasha. Who else could it be? She and Barton go way back. In the beginning he had honestly thought they were gonna get together at some point.

Loki was nearly fainting over the pain of the wound. He was fading fast like an emptying dream or, more accurately speaking, nightmare. But how could that be? He had taken on the hulk without being crushed to death, so how could it be that he was in a state of near peril because of one arrow in his shoulder. There must have been something inside that arrow. Poison!

"Um… Bruce." Tony said to the doctor who was still kneeling down beside Loki, actually _yelling_ at Steve to get a medical bag at the far end of the room. Steve was a bit dumbfounded at that moment, understandably so. But not because he was shocked at all the blood or the wound. Steve had seen plenty of carnage worse than this in his war days. Steve just hadn't expected this to happen so suddenly and it had left the poor guy confused and bewildered.

"STEVE!" Bruce yelled again and the captain finally shook out of his brainlessness and hurried over to retrieve the bag. He seemed almost like an actual nurse while doing so.

"Bruce…" Tony started again, hoping for better luck since the doctor was no longer yelling at Steve.

"I'm kind of busy, Tony…" Bruce said as he gave Loki a shot in the arm. "Someone get a stretcher!" He yelled and Steve scurried off to do so, much faster than he was before.

"Bruce, I think he's poisoned." Tony said. Bruce did not seem to have heard.

" _Bruce,_ I think he's poisoned!" Tony finally yelled himself, making the room more hectic than ever before, if that was possible. They had had many chaotic moments in here and everywhere else in Avengers Tower and this could hit the top ten list.

Bruce glanced at Tony a moment, before going back to keeping pressure on Loki's wound.

"I'm doing everything I can, Tony… Ask Barton what was in the arrow…" the doctor said, in an almost commanding sort of voice… Or maybe Tony just thought it seemed commanding because usually Bruce seemed a bit mellow, unlike everyone else in this great team of mighty obnoxiousness.

Tony glanced at where Barton was. Completely empty of human life. Clint and Thor were no longer in the room. In the middle of the chaos, Tony had not even realized they had left until just then.

He decided quickly that he would at least try to ebb the impending or current conflict between his teammate and former teammate, if even a little, though he knew it was almost certainly going to fail. Thor loved his brother and would be angered at Barton so much so that it would be nearly impossible to reason with him, while Barton would be too stubborn and angered himself to even fake an apology or feign guilt over anything of the matter.

As Tony got to the doorway, he bumped into Pepper.

"Oh! I'm sorry." Pepper said. Tony shrugged and was about to leave. "Tony I need to talk to you about something…" Pepper said, slightly in the way of the door.

"Yeah, sure, but later. First I have some stuff to do." Tony said. Pepper looked from behind his shoulder, probably noticing Loki on the floor with blood everywhere, based on the look of shock that swept around her face.

"What happened?" she asked, astonished.

"Ask Nat. I've gotta go." He then rushed away out the door, leaving Pepper utterly confused.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Thor was completely outraged. It had taken several diversions before Clint could finally find refuge behind a building, but Thor was still searching everywhere as he cried out Clint's name.

"Barton!" Thor yelled, "I have had enough of this cowardice! Face me!"

Thor might have been as strong as a knife slicing weak parchment, but he wasn't all that intelligent, well, at least not there in New York where there were buildings as high up as the clouds and vehicles and people dashing about in flashes. Barton knew Thor was not _actually_ stupid, he just wasn't born in this kind of world like the rest of the Avengers were and that was all. You had to be at least 'not dumb' to be born and raised a prince, learning all those princely things princes had to learn. Who ever heard of a good king who didn't know his times tables? No one can say they've met a good king who doesn't even know what two plus two is. No, Thor wasn't stupid. Everything else was just foreign to him.

Onlookers had begun to gather, inevitably, at that time. Clint would have to lure Thor somewhere more secluded before he could start cracking the pavement and putting citizens on fire with his thunder.

Clint didn't feel sorry for what he did to Loki, in fact he would certainly do it again, if the opportunity existed. No, Clint was not sorry and Thor should know this. He knew what Loki did to Clint. Loki had controlled him! He made him hurt his own teammates and his friends. He had watched with sadistic pleasure when Clint killed innocent people against his will. Clint would never feel sorry for hurting the bastard! The bastard would feel sorry for himself for pissing off the wrong person!

With caution, Clint stepped out.

"Thor!" He yelled at the very tops of his lungs. His heart was pounding in his chest.

Thor turned and then they were facing each other.

Thor's face was red with anger and was contorted into the meanest frown Clint had ever seen.

They were both sweating with anger and adrenaline at this point.

"Barton! What have you done? How could you do this to my brother?!" Thor yelled.

At this, Clint was furious. "What have I done?!" He yelled.

A dash of light and crimson became visible as Tony, in his Iron Man suit, flew between them and landed to the ground.

"Alrighty, guys… Remember what your mother's said about fighting." He said gesturing to both of them, in an attempt to calm them both down.

"This is not a matter fit for jesting!" Thor growled at Stark, ferociously.

Barton and Thor were still glaring daggers at each other. Thor especially. Tony hoped he would be able to calm them down and not cause New York to explode for the umpteenth time.

"Okay, let's just—"

"How dare you harm my brother?!" Thor asked Barton, ignoring Tony.

"You know what he did to me!" Barton yelled. "He controlled me and he killed thousands of people and tried to rule our world and you think we're just gonna forgive him for that?!" Barton yelled. He did have some good points, Tony supposed. But never mind that. Tony was supposed to be calming them down.

"I don't want to be Steve and ruin all the fun, but can we all just calm down." Tony asked.

"This doesn't concern you, mortal!" Thor said, not even taking the time to look at Tony.

"Hey! Katniss here is a mortal too. How come _she_ gets to join your club?" Tony asked.

"Can you just screw-off, Stark?" Barton asked. "This has nothing to do with you."

Tony was beginning to grow a little annoyed then. "Actually this has a lot to do with me. I'm one of earth's mightiest heroes. I protect earth, I'm… Mighty… I make sure you crazy kids don't kill each other while the missus is away."

"And who's the missus?" Barton asked.

"I don't know… Fury? Steve…?" Tony said.

Barton and Thor were still glaring at each other.

"Look…" Tony started, "Thor, you should go see how your brothers doing. He wouldn't want you chasing people around New York…" Barton gave him an incredulous look, "Okay, he _would_ want you chasing people around New York, but that's beside the point… I'll talk to Barton while you go see your brother." Thor looked convinced, he was still glaring at Barton with deep ferocious anger waiting to be unleashed, but he looked convinced.

"Very well…" Thor said, still glaring at Barton who glared back.

Thor began swinging his hammer in the air. "This is not over." He said to Barton, before swooping into the air, out of their range of sight.

Barton sighed.

Tony didn't notice until now, but there were a bunch of people just staring at them in awe.

"Do you want me to fly you again, _Legolas?"_ Tony asked.

"What? Why?" Clint asked, giving him a funny look.

"So we can talk privately." Tony said, frankly.

Barton sighed again. "Alright."

* * *

Thank you all for reading, I hoped you enjoyed, and until next time,

P.H.


	8. Leading Such a Troublesome Life

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing owned by someone else. I get no money out of this. I just write for fun and practice.

 **AN:** Thanks for reading everyone and thanks for all the kind reviews from before! I hope you enjoy chapter eight of this story…

* * *

Tony had flew into the air, grabbing Barton, and had landed atop a building far from the crowds below.

"Alright." Tony said, as soon as they had landed. He wasn't in the mood for bullshit at that moment, "Let's cut to the chase. My guess is, what with Loki's weird reaction to the arrow, that you poisoned him. Am I right?" he asked. It felt strange seeing Clint. It felt strange seeing _Loki._ He wondered what would happen next… Flying llamas?

The archer sighed in exasperation. He, Clint, always was a stubborn ass.

"Look," Tony started, "I can understand why you'd want the doe-stag to suffer, but if you don't tell me what's wrong with him and how to fix it and he dies because of that then Thor will be after you faster than a jackrabbit on a greasy griddle in the middle of august and he'll be on your tail forever and when I mean forever I really, really mean forever." He finished.

Barton sighed again, less of frustration this time and more of 'I'm annoyed because you have better logic than me'.

"He is poisoned…" He said. "But I don't know what with. I just know it'll hurt like hell and that he'll live in the long run. Thor would know what's wrong with him. Just tell him I used the arrow he gave me on Loki."

"So… it's not supposed to kill him then?" It was official. Tony's life was messed up. His friends consisted of a, probably virgin, war hero from the 1940s, a guy who couldn't overreact about anything without turning into a giant green monster with purple pants, a one thousand year old Norse god with impulsive tendencies, a manipulative assassin who doesn't like goatees, and a vengeful and potentially sadistic former assassin who lives on a farm with three kids and a wife.

"No… It's not supposed to kill him…" Barton said in answer to Tony's question, an ashamed expression creeping ever so slightly on his face.

"You sadistic son of a bitch…" Tony said, calmly. A short and awkward silence came over them before Tony finally said "You do realize that this puts you on the same crazy level as Bambi himself, don't you?" Barton just glared at this remark.

"How dare you? He has—"

"Yeah, can we chat later? I kinda need to go tell Thor about the thing with the reindeer and the poison." Tony interrupted. He had no time to talk and he really didn't feel like arguing with Clint about ethics, or arguing about anything for that matter, so he quickly decided it best to zoom at full speed into the air away from Clint. Clint yelled at him angrily as he left. He soon disappeared from the archer's sight.

A grin crept on his face, ever so slightly. Yes, his life was messed up and crazy, but that's half of what he loved about it and half of what he hated about it and he'd made peace with that fact. All one could do was go with it and see what adventures would come.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

As if the day had not already been stressful, what with the long awaited talk she was finally going to have with Tony, she was now helping Bruce and Steve stitch a Norse mythology god's arm.

She wouldn't let anyone know this but she felt sorry for Loki, really. It looked like it had hurt him, the arrow wound, and she had been relieved when the morphine had kicked in and he was asleep.

It was strange looking at his unmoving body, so peaceful though in so much pain physically and emotionally. If he could look down on himself, he would probably be relieved to be asleep.

His eyelids twitched sometimes and his chest exhaled and inhaled gently, sometimes sharply, but other than that he was as still as a statue, his body looked frail and willowy and his face, though overly pale and tired looking, also looked rather picturesque, like a statue.

Thor had spoken of why Loki was spiteful and angered and out of control… and though he never gave much detail on why Loki was the way he was, he had said there was a reason. Loki was damaged… sad… lonely.

When they had finished stitching Loki up she figured she wasn't needed with much else, sighed and fell onto a couch near the bed they had placed Loki in and she rubbed her temples tiredly.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked as he sat down too, on the couch. Bruce was still working on Loki in any way he could so he didn't join them.

"Yeah…" she said with a sigh, rubbing her eyes that had begun to adopt dark circles. "I'm fine."

She glanced at him, he looked just as tired and stressed as she felt.

"Are _you_ alright?" she asked.

He paused a second, looking at Loki with a serious expression on his face, "I don't understand. Why are we trusting this guy, he's one of our greatest enemies." He said, a glare almost sweeping his face at this point.

"We don't have very many options…" Bruce chimed in, "If we don't find and rescue Odin then Asgard will fall and this doesn't only put Thor and his people's lives in danger, it puts our people's lives in danger too."

"I understand that." Steve said, "I just don't like having to trust him with so much. He's dangerous."

"I don't think anyone wants to have to trust him, Steve," Pepper started, "but if we don't it'll lead to much worse than whatever Loki might have planned for us."

They suddenly heard a crash at the door and Thor rushed, eyes searching wildly around the room until he set them on Loki still lying on the bed.

"Is Loki alright?" he asked as he hastily ran to his brother side, obliviously bumping Bruce and causing him to fall down.

"Ehh… What's up, doc?" Tony strolled in, no longer in his suit of armor. Finally! Tony was here. She would be able to talk to him now. This talk was long overdue and she was not going to have either of them avoid it in any way this time. This had to be done, regardless of how uncomfortable she or he was about it.

"Did Clint tell you anything about… the arrow?" Bruce asked.

"He told me to tell Thor 'he used the arrow Thor gave him on Loki'…"

"Oh." Thor said, his face had lit up with relief at what Tony had said, "It's fatal to humans but it will do no harm to Loki." Everyone sighed at that moment.

Pepper realized this was the time and she stood up, off the couch.

"Tony?" she said as he fell onto the couch with a heap.

"Hmm?" Tony said, eyes closed, head resting on his arms and feet using the bed Loki was laying in as a footrest. The stereotypical relaxation pose and he looked more relaxed than ever. No, she didn't want to disturb Tony when he was relaxing, but she knew they both had to get out of their comfort zones, even if that meant forcing her will and dragging them both out of it into the fields of uncomfortable zones.

"Tony, we need to talk…" she said. He did not seem to have heard her or he was just ignoring, either way she was annoyed. "Tony." She said, firmly and slightly louder.

"What?" he asked drowsily.

"We. Need. To talk." She said.

He groaned and sat up, sighing.

"What's up?" he asked.

"No. Tony, I'd like this to be private." Pepper said, sighing in annoyance and frustration.

"You want me to kick everyone out of here?" Tony asked, his signature grin spreading around his face. "That seems a little harsh, Pep."

"No!" she said, perhaps louder than she had intended to be, "No, I just… You _know_ what I meant." She said. She had had enough of this. Sometimes tony could be so disrespectful and that fact became even more exasperating when you realized he prided himself on his snarky and rude behavior. She had no comprehension as to why she even had the _capacity_ to put up with him.

He sighed and groaned again, before standing up, facing her.

She walked out the room, knowing Tony would follow and soon they were in their bedroom together.

"Alright. What's going on with you, Pep?" Tony asked, looking around the room curiously. He hadn't even been in it for a month! He was always sleeping in his workshop.

"We need to talk about our relationship." Pepper said. She was really hoping this conversation would go better than she thought it would.

"Oooh…" Tony said, suggestively, smiling.

"I'm being serious here, Tony." Pepper said.

"Okay…" he said, caution in his voice. "What about our relationship?"

"You've been…" Pepper paused, "Withdrawn lately. We never talk and you haven't even slept in the same bed with me. What's going on with you, Tony?" she asked, after sighing a sigh of relief. She must have sighed one hundred times that day!

Her heart was pounding in her chest. She wasn't _afraid_ of conflict, but at times, especially with Tony, it made her nervous. She didn't want to unintentionally use the wrong words with him.

He looked at her before sitting on the bed, calmly.

"I'm sorry about that, Pepper." He said, "I've just had a lot of things to do. I'm designing a new suit. I've got avengers stuff to take care of all the time. Freaking Loki appeared out of nowhere and that just crams my schedule even more. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!" He finished, looking up at her with honest eyes. "I just have a tight schedule right now, Pep."

"So you have no time for me? No time at all. Not even a minute?" Pepper asked, looking at him defiantly.

"Pepper. I do everything I do to help others and make life better for _you."_ He said. "Because I _care_ about _you_."

"You can't even spend an hour with me." Pepper said. It was true, she had just realized then, it was true that Tony hadn't spent an hour with her for quite a ridiculous while.

"Like I said before," Tony started, getting up from the bed and levelly facing her, "I just have a tight schedule right now."

She could feel her eyes welling up. She wished she had a way to hide the inexorable tears to come. She felt so embarrassed.

"Pepper..." Tony said.

"So you have zero time for me, then?" she blurted as warm tears began streaming down her face.

"No, no! I'm just busy right now." Tony said, touching her arm. She shoved him away as she held her hands in her face to hide her tears a little. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her.

"Pepper… This isn't like you…" Tony said.

"Well, _this_ isn't _supposed_ to be like _you!"_ she said as she tried to wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

"You're being hysterical." Tony said. Pepper heated up with all the anger she'd kept inside and she could not stop herself before she slapped him straight in the face.

Tony touched his face a moment before he gently grabbed her arms and she was just so tired that she didn't care she was sobbing on his shoulder.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

After a while Pepper calmed down a little. Tony really hadn't expected her to start crying like that, but he supposed she had had a lot of stress what with all the work she'd been doing.

He felt sorry, but he really was busy with other issues. Thor wanted them to leave to who knows where and Loki was going to be their escort and sometimes Tony wished life was simpler but it wasn't and Pepper knew that well.

"Tony," she said, bending her neck to look at him, "I'm sorry, Tony…" She said.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Tony said, brushing her hair out of her face, "I can be a real douche sometimes."

"No…" she said, getting up. "I mean I'm sorry because… Tony, my life has been so stressful lately and it just keeps piling on…" she paused and looked at him sadly, "Tony, I… I think we need some time apart for now. Our lives are both just too hectic to mix." Tony was saddened at this. He knew she was right, but he loved Pepper and cherished her greatly. But if he were to be honest with himself he _had_ been falling apart from her romantically. He still cared about her and it wasn't like he had just got bored of her. He was just… The sparks weren't flying anymore. But he'd miss her, though he would still see her all the time, her being his CEO, he'd still miss her, he _knew_ he'd still miss her, but this was a good idea… for both of them he supposed.

"You can use one of the other rooms in the tower—"

"No…" Pepper said as she got up, much calmer than before, "I'll just rent an apartment."

"Are you sure?" Tony asked, "Avengers tower has elevators that go in horizontal directions and instant pancake makers, you sure you want to risk losing that?" he asked as he smiled at her, boyishly.

She smiled too, but her smile seemed sad and tired.

"I have a meeting to go to." She said calmly as she walked out of the room, leaving Tony to his buzzing thoughts.

* * *

Thanks for reading, everyone! I really appreciate it. This chapter didn't have much Loki in it but don't worry, the next chapter will have plenty of him in it.

Until next time, and there will be a next time,

P.H.


	9. Oh my, oh my, oh my!

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing owned by others. :'(

 **AN:** Thank you all so much for coming back to read another chapter of this story. It is very much appreciated and I hope you all enjoy…

* * *

It was dark and cold and lonely and he recognized this feeling. He had felt it all the time. This terrifying and horrible _feeling_. It crept over him like a fountain of fear and sorrow pouring into him. Like a thousand needles showing down on him like darts of fire.

The fallen erstwhile prince found no haven in his thoughts, as he used to, for now it was not an escape from reality. Reality wouldn't waver from his mind, always creeping into the deepest corners of his thoughts and consuming him with unbearable pain and anxiety. It was shattering his heart into a million pieces, hanging him upside down, and letting his aching head drown in the shards.

An awareness came over him: he couldn't stop any of it. He was trapped in a cage, in a room with no window or doorway of any kind. He couldn't control this feeling. He couldn't control what they would do to him next. Like a tiger ready to pounce they looked at him with eyes filled with malevolent fire. They jested and shrieked with words of hatred and made him feel the worst of agonies even when he begged them to let him be alone. Let him crawl away and die, because that's all he really wanted after all this pain. He just wanted to die and never have to feel anything again. His very existence was the worst torture he knew. But they would never allow it to stop, not even when he was so broken inside that he couldn't hope to be fixed, no, not even then would they spare him. They'd have him rot for an eternity and it would never stop. _Never_ until he had completely shattered and fallen and even then would they truly be done with him? He could never be certain of his what his fate would be, only knowing that it would be horrible and torturous and would leave him as nothing.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

A feeling of warmth erupted through his vanes, like a stream of warm water spilling gently down on him.

His head began to hurt and he became more aware. He was awake, or at least he thought he was.

The warmth was no longer relaxing as it grew hotter and hotter and he squeezed his eyes shut. He wished he could drown this feeling out. He was becoming so hot. He could feel beads of sweat form, making his forehead itch, as they dripped into his eyes making them sting.

He didn't know how long his breath had been hitched.

He could hear the sound of voices, too distant but too near. His head banged with searing pain at every sentence they spoke and though he could hear them he couldn't comprehend their words, too enveloped in his pain.

"Thor, what's happening?" Bruce asked Thor. But when he looked at him Thor was just as surprised and hadn't seemed to have heard Bruce. He didn't know what was happening either.

Bruce had been checking Loki's vitals, Thor with him, and suddenly Loki began sweating and breathing harshly and he was heating up fast. His eyes squeezed shut. Bruce was giving him tons of morphine but he honestly didn't know how much was too much for the alien.

"Thor? Do you know what's happening here?" He asked, though the question was probably going to be met with no answer and even if there was an answer the answer wouldn't _really_ be likely to actually help his question.

He doubted Thor really knew much of Asgardian medical issues at all, anyway. It wasn't as though he was a doctor and he didn't seem like he'd be all that interested in that sort of stuff.

Bruce felt like he should probably contact Tony and tell him about the situation but he wasn't sure Tony would be any help either.

He grabbed Thor's arm to get his attention. "Thor? Do you know what's happening and how to stop it?" he asked.

"N-no! This isn't supposed to happen. Loki should be capable of surviving this with little more than a backache!" Thor's voice was panicked as he looked anxiously at his brother. He glanced at Bruce with worry before looking back at Loki, shock etched in his face.

Loki's eyes flew open. He looked shocked and in pain. He kept making sounds but never screamed. It was as though the pain was so great that he was incapable of making little more than whimpers.

"B-b-b." Loki sounded as though he were trying to say something. Bruce leaned forward to see if he couldn't try and hear what the trickster had to say.

"Ba-Banner…" Loki managed to say, though every edge of his quiet voice told about his pain.

"Yes?" Bruce asked as he leaned in a little closer.

"I'm-muh-muh… Muh-H-h-hum-mm-an…" Loki stuttered, with difficulty.

"Human? You're human?" Bruce repeated Loki's words with surprise. Human? Is that what he said? What did that mean? How was that possible?

"YES!" Loki yelled half a scream as he shook with pain, practically writhing in it.

"Thor?" Bruce said. Thor was still staring at Loki with shock and confusion in his eyes.

"Thor, he says he's human. What does that mean?" Bruce asked.

"What?" Thor said, glancing at Bruce for half a millisecond before looking back at his brother.

"He said he was human…?" Bruce said.

"But that's…" Thor paused a moment, "That's ridiculous. Why would he turn himself human?" he asked.

"I still don't know how much time we have or what was in that arrow to cause this, but he's burning up. He'll die. What do we do?" Bruce asked, "Thor?"

"There is a cure… But it's not on Midgard…" Thor said briefly before rushing out the room.

"Wait! How much time does he have…?!" Bruce called out. But Thor was long gone. Thor had said enough for Bruce to know where he was going: Asgard. He just hoped Thor would get back as soon as possible. The man would be devastated if he came back too late and found his brother… Dead.

He didn't want to leave Loki for too long, but he decided he could quickly get a pale of cold water.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Loki had no idea what was happening around him. He hoped Banner got the message, but he could no longer hear anything but the thump of his heart, beating fast and hard against his aching chest.

He could feel the heat grow every second and it wouldn't stop! He felt something cold and wet pour over him, water, but it only lasted a moment before the heat dissolved the liquid and left the rest of the water warm and uncomfortable.

His body shook with pain and he wasn't able to control this. He was in so much unbelievable agony!

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Tony was in his workshop, working on the newest version of his suit, tinkering and whatnot, and Steve sat in a chair near him.

To be honest with himself, he wished he was as smart as Tony, though he knew he never would be. He strongly hated it when Tony made snarky comments about his real age. He might be ninety but he certainly didn't feel that way and he had no problem adapting to his new surroundings… Okay, maybe a little trouble but one can understand that. He is, after all, _technically_ ninety.

But truth be told he was doing well for having been born so long ago. He even learnt how to use the television remote a little, and that's saying something.

"Could you hand me a wrench?" Tony asked, still tinkering on the body of mechanical armor.

Steve got up and handed the wrench to him.

"Tony… Can I ask you something?" Steve… Asked… He wanted to ask Tony about Pepper. He knew a lot of other problems were there for potentially worrying about, but he didn't want Tony or Pepper to get hurt in their relationship. He cared about both of them dearly, they were his best friends after all.

"Shoot." Tony said, in answer to his question.

"How… How are you and Pepper doing?" Steve asked. He didn't want to barge in on something that wasn't his business, but all he wanted to know was if they were doing okay or not.

"Don't shoot." Tony answered putting both his hands in the air as though Steve was a cop with a gun.

There was a long pause.

"Pepper wants some time on her own right now." Tony finally said. "The truth is, Stevie, I think we might be done. Me and Pepper, not me and you." he smirked.

"Do you… Want that to happen?" Steve asked. He wasn't sure why he asked the question. He just wanted to know all the details, he supposed.

"I don't know…" Tony paused. "We've just got a lot of stuff going on right now and I haven't spent much time with her and I'm not sure I really want to anymore, well romantically that is, I still think she's awesome to hang with."

"Oh."

"You waiting for us to be over so you can score with Pepper, Steve?" Tony asked.

"What? No! That is completely inappropriate. I just want what's best for both of you." Steve was astonished at this question, though he did _know_ Tony was joking. He didn't like when Tony made flippant jokes about such things.

"Trust me, Spandex, we're doing what's best for both of us." Tony said. He then stopped tinkering. "What are we gonna do about the Loki's dog situation?" Tony asked suddenly.

"What? I thought you took her to the pound…" Steve said. "I haven't seen her around her anywhere." He knew Tony was changing the subject, but honestly he didn't mind. The conversation before was getting too awkward for him anyway.

"Well, I kept her for testing, in case Loki was holding a bomb in her or something… She's clean." Tony said.

"So…" Steve wasn't gonna say this out loud but he was pleased that Tony hadn't taken her to the pound yet. He kind of, well, wanted them to keep her. He hadn't had a dog in a long time and he missed not having a dog.

"Do you think we should keep her?" Tony asked.

"Sure… I mean… She could be of use to us…" Steve said, Tony looked at him unimpressed, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips, "What? We could teach her to get the mail or she could be our personal guard dog. We can only have so many cameras around the place." Steve finished, he was beginning to feel really embarrassed, like a squirrel who didn't collect any acorns for the winter even though he lived up in an oak tree having to face his more organized neighbor squirrels judgment, and Tony was still giving him a look. "What?"

"Oh, Steve." Tony said, grinning.

Tony's phone started ringing and Tony picked it up and flipped it open. "This is pizza castle speaking, may I take your order?"

Tony's face hardened in an ever so slightly serious expression and Steve wondered what was going on. Tony glanced at him a moment.

"I'll be right there." He said, before closing the phone and tossing it on his chair.

"Who was that? What's going on?" Steve asked, as they both rushed out of the room.

"Bruce. He's having trouble with Loki. He's human."

"I know he's human." Steve said, confused.

"No, _Loki's_ human."

"What? So why are we running?"

"Because Loki's also dying and we need him to find Odin to make sure Asgard and Midgard and all those gards are safe." Tony answered.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Banner was pouring freezing water over Loki.

Loki's heat had slowed down to an exceptional degree and the water had helped quite a bit. He just hoped Loki wouldn't start heating up too rapidly too soon and he hoped Thor would get there before something tragic happened.

He was really feeling angered at Natasha just about then. He knew she had to be the one who told Barton about Loki.

"Hey." Speak of the devil. He immediately tensed at the voice of his girlfriend.

"What is it, Natasha?" he asked, not turning around. He really didn't feel like talking to her just then. Especially with all the other things he had to worry about.

"How are you doing?" Natasha asked. He could hear her footsteps coming closer to his side.

"I'm fine. It's Thor and his brother who are suffering right now…" he answered, hoping she could hear the irritation towards her in his voice.

"But you don't care how Loki feels." Natasha said, touching Bruce's shoulder. This comment made Bruce furious inside and he had to make a mental note to not get too angered.

"I'm not a sadistic and vindictive former assassin, I'm a human being and I don't like it when _anyone's_ suffering. _Anyone._ It would make me the same as Loki if I did, and even if I didn't care how Loki felt I would still care about Thor." Bruce said.

"Bruce—"

"I can't do this right now, Natasha. I need to stay calm. The big guys already scratching at me and I just can't talk to you right now…"

Natasha felt guilty. She wasn't going to lie to herself, though she might deny it to others, but she did feel guilty. Perhaps it was a little rash to tell Barton, but she had promised him and she never took her promises back from those she truly cared about. She felt as though Bruce might never forgive her, but in reality she knew he would eventually. The man could be ridiculously forgiving sometimes.

"Where's Thor?" She asked.

"He left for Asgard to get a cure for Loki." Bruce said, calmly.

Just then, Natasha made a decision. One she might regret.

And she ran out the room in a hurry.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Thor was standing near Avengers Tower, though not too close. There had been quite an accident the last time he was too close to the tower, while travelling.

He had to make haste or else his brother would surely perish. He cursed himself for having given Barton the gift of the arrow. He had expected Barton to use it only if he had to, not on his little brother. Guilt soaked in his thoughts and he closed his eyes to calm his anger a little.

"Thor!" he heard. It was Lady Romanoff's voice calling to him. He turned around to see her running to him as fast as her Midgardian legs could possibly run. When she stopped, her breathing was fine for a human. She ran all the time and was highly exercised so it made sense that she wouldn't be too out of breath.

"Thor…"

"I must make haste, Lady Romanoff. My brother shall peril should I be idle." Thor said, turning away from her.

"Thor…" Natasha could not believe what she was about to say, "I'm coming with you!"

* * *

Thank you all for reading. I apologise for the evil cliff-hanger. I hope you had fun, and until next time,

P.H.


	10. Whoa!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing owned by someone else.

 **AN:** Thanks for reading and I hope you have a good time…

* * *

"Are you certain you want to accompany me?" Thor asked.

This question frustrated Natasha because she could very well decide not to go, but at the same time she felt obligated to, "Just take me with you, before I change my mind. I'll be more help than anything else." Natasha said, just wanting to get it over with. Oh, she was really gonna regret this and when she got back, if she did, Bruce would be on her back and SHIELD would be asking her so many questions, but she had to do this anyway. She owed it to Thor. He was her teammate and she betrayed him. She should have never made that promise to Barton in the first place.

"So be it…" Thor said.

Suddenly, before she knew what was going on around her, streams of colors and a vibrating sound surrounded her. She felt somehow out of body and yet twisted into her flesh and she was queasy and then… She was there. The room was rounded and shined golden, it was magnificent to behold. A man, with golden armor from head to foot, stood still and postured in the middle of the room, a sword in his hands like the sword king Arthur pulled out of the stone. His elegant demeanor was something grand to see. But his eyes, oh, his eyes! They were a beautiful fiery amber that showed much wisdom and age within their depths. Natasha could not keep her sights away from those amazing eyes.

"Welcome, my prince." The man said, calmly, looking at Thor with respect and calmness in every aspect of his stance.

"Heimdall, you must take us to Alfheim, immediately!" Thor said, urgency in his voice.

"Yes, my prince." Heimdall said without question as though he already knew what was happening and understood. He then gave Thor a strange knowing look but only for a split second could Natasha see it. Probably her imagination.

"Alfheim?" Natasha interjected. "I thought we were going to Asgard. Why are we going to Alfheim?" Natasha knew what 'Alfheim' was. After the discovery of Thor, she had read a lot about Norse mythology.

"Natasha… Loki's cure is located in Alfheim." Thor said, before turning back to Heimdall, "Take us to Alfheim." He said, commandingly.

"Tho—" But before she could even finish his name, she was enveloped into the swirling confusion again, travelling this time to 'Alfheim'.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Tony and Steve came crashing into the room like a rapid hurricane, if Bruce was not going to turn into the big guy by the end of that day he would still have a heart attack anyway. It was a good thing he was a calm person and could endure these situations pretty well.

"What's the situation, Brucey?" Tony said.

"He won't stop heating up…" Bruce said, "His temperatures going up as we speak and he's human."

"Yeah, so why is Loki human exactly? When did that happen? Why did that happen?" Tony asked, curiosity in his voice.

"We don't have time to ask those questions right now, Tony, Loki's going to die unless Thor gets here on time. All we can do to help is prolong his time."

"Alright." Tony said, "Here's a suggestion, let's put him in a bath filled with icy water."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Steve asked, concerned.

"Steve, once upon a time I was challenged to take an ice bath when I was twelve. I accepted the challenge, beat the obstacles, and won a candy bar I could have bought instead of going through all that hassle. It won't kill Loki. He'll be fine." Tony said. "Also, it won't actually be an 'ice bath', we'll be using a mechanical machine that produces cold air inside it. He'll just be laying in really cold water and air. No ice."

Steve nodded, "Alright, then… Let's get started with this. Bruce, you need to stay and make sure Loki's vitals are stable. Tony, you're coming with me to get the 'ice tub'." Steve said, going into full on Steve mode as he always had a habit of doing during a crisis.

"Bossy much? Geez, Steve." Tony said, as he led Steve out the room.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

A light shined stingingly in her eyes, a buzzing noise echoing in her ears. She blinked twice, before the area was clear enough to see a little.

Her ears were still buzzing as her eyes widened at what she saw: a gorgeous forest unlike any she had ever seen, not really a jungle, yet so colorful regardless. The light of the sun shined brightly over the beautiful trees. She blinked again. The sun was a light purple, making the land seem even more harmonious.

She could hardly believe what she saw before her. She felt like one of the children on 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' upon first entering into the candy land of wonder. She wasn't on earth, she was in an entirely different world! It felt extraordinary! A curiosity and enthusiasm she hadn't felt since she was only a small child crept over her, making her spine tingle with wonder and her heart pound with excitement.

"Natasha." She jumped at the sound of her name, she had forgotten Thor was even there, too mesmerized by the new beauty all around her. It was so thrilling!

"Come. We must now retrieve the elixir that shall work as a cure for Loki." He said, matter-of-factly.

She felt her face harden immediately and she would have cursed herself out loud for getting distracted so easily if it wasn't for Thor's presence. She had a mission to fulfill and that was all; no admiring the sceneries, no matter how picturesque they may be; no distractions.

Thor turned and began walking a determined sort of walk, "So… how long will this take, exactly?" she asked, as she followed him, slowing down when she got by his side.

"Well over four hours, but with my special set of skills it will take no more than one or two. You see I have been taught since a very young age how to hunt and it in turn helped me understand my surroundings and how to move faster in them. I am well equipped at finding my way around, even in the densest of forests." Thor replied, as they trudged on in the fantastical place.

"I, see." She said, briefly, as they walked on. She hoped Thor didn't realize that she was the one who told Clint. Thor could be an incredible oaf sometimes but he wasn't actually a complete idiot. He was smarter than one might assume on a first meeting with him and it wouldn't really be too difficult for him to figure it out. She looked down at her feet awkwardly as they walked before looking up again. After this was over and Loki was hopefully safe she would have to tell him.

Animal noises could be heard from all directions like beautiful melodies that never once became tiresome or a nuisance to her ears, unlike some of the many melodies of earth. There were calming and lovely sounds all around them.

The ground was wet with water that seemed to dry when it came into contact with her boots, she could feel an almost electrical tingle go up her feet every time she stepped in these strange puddles and for small moments she even thought she saw a tiny green electrical spark in the water where she stepped, every once in a while.

"This place is incredible." She finally couldn't stop herself from saying. She supposed she was only being honest, it was an incredible place, but she also didn't want to embarrass herself or have Thor think she didn't take the mission seriously.

She fancied imagining what SHIELD's reaction would be to see such a place as this one.

"Yes, it's quite a magnificent place." Thor said, his face seemed dark and far away. She couldn't blame him. His brother was in great danger of dying and it was half his fault… as well as her own. She began to walk faster. As much as she hated the bastard, Loki, she wouldn't let someone unjustly die because of her when she had sworn a hundred times to never let that happen again and yes she thought this was not justified. Clint wasn't out for justice, he was out for revenge and there is a huge difference between the two.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

They smiled brightly at him, their faces gleaming in the small lit room so that he could only see the wrinkles of their terrifying shadows, lurking about.

One in particular held something in his deformed hands. The light flickered on for a moment and a sharp rusted knife was briefly visible before the lights went out again, leaving him in the dark.

He tried to crouch low, away from the ever watching eyes of the monsters he was exposed to and unable to escape from, but he found he couldn't move because he was tied up. A panic filled his chest and lungs and he tried to control it. He tried so hard to control it! His eyes were watering with fear, he would have begged for mercy if it were not for the fact that he already knew well that would have made things worse.

Scuttles were heard echoing from all parts of the room, as the light flickered on again, for a moment, he saw the knife and the eerily terrifying creature holding it. The most mutant and grotesque out of all the Chitauri. It never made a noise, it never did anything but smile at him until then… then it was acting and he could not predict when it would strike at him or where and he could not move to save himself!

His heart began banging in his chest like a drum going faster and faster, waiting for something horrific to occur at every moment.

He heard a singeing noise, the pitch black room lit up again, this time a darker light shown over the room. He looked up with caution and there he saw the creature looking down on him with the knife glowing red from an unknown heat source, the creatures lips curled in a huge and malevolent smile. His heart was pounding.

Before he had time to do anything it grabbed his lower arm with its harsh cold hands poked the fiery knife into his hand, letting it slowly sink in. He was instantly met with a searing pain in his hand and he immediately screamed in agony as he tried not to thrash about and make the pain worse. His hand was dripping with sticky blood as it hung still attached to the knife. His whole body shook violently with pain. The creature ripped the rusty knife off unexpectedly and Loki grabbed his hand, with a small whimper. He could hear the intense sound of the other Chitauri cackling loud, reverberating around the room, getting louder and louder, and making his head bang with pain and confusion.

They were coming nearer and nearer. The lights flickered for a moment and he saw them all around him. One kicked him. Another went so far as to untie him and then through him the other side of the room and they came by his side again, one squeezing his bloody hand as he screamed in agony.

They wouldn't stop. Please make them stop! Ple _ase! Ple_ _ **ase! Plea**_ **-**

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"That's all we can do until Thor gets back…" Bruce said in his most frustrated voice.

Tony wondered if they could possibly just find another way to save Odin other than Loki's help, though he wouldn't share that opinion with anyone; Captain Underpants and Zeus Almighty might pull a hissy fit on him and he honestly didn't feel like arguing with them at the moment. Steve and Thor could be really exasperating sometimes.

"When do you think Thor will get back?" Steve asked, looking at the machine Loki lay inside, with an uncomfortable and serious expression on his face.

"I have no idea…" Bruce said, solemnly.

"Well, in the meantime I guess we can always play cops and robbers." Tony said. Someone had to lighten the mood with some humor, that room was cramming and crushing them it was so tense. He needed a big vacation after all this was over. "I need a drink. Anyone want anything?" he said, sighing loudly.

"I'll have a Pepsi." Steve said.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

They had been walking for at least forty-five minutes and it had begun to be quite treacherous, but the place was just too amazing for Natasha to really mind all that much, even if it had begun to get rocky and bumpy and her shoes were getting wet and staying that way.

"How much further?" Natasha asked.

"Look in front of you, Natasha." Thor said, suddenly as he stopped.

There, right in front of her without her even noticing, was a great… city! It was a beautiful place. Archaic yet futuristic at the same time. There were towers far up in the sky, reaching the clouds and short buildings reaching as low as fifteen feet in height. But what the shorter towers lacked in regality they gained in quaintness and peacefulness. The air smelled of honey and the exotic trees were filled with beautiful birds. The sun hit the city like a splash of paint that perfected everything.

Natasha could only say. "Wow…" as she beheld the beautiful place. "Just, wow…"

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Clint was in his rented apartment, going through his thoughts.

He hadn't packed yet to go back to his home… He just didn't want to go back for some reason. He felt like his business in the big city had just begun and he didn't know why… He couldn't really tell if it was anger or shame he felt as he sat on the bed staring out at the window, with thoughts racing by like cars on a highway.

He felt on edge. He was getting a feeling that he shouldn't have shot Loki like that… But Loki deserved it, right? But he did what Loki would have done in his place…, no, Loki made him hurt innocent lives and that was enough reason. Besides, it's not like he actually killed the bastard. He just… He tortured him. Thor would never forgive him for this, so he certainly lost him as a friend. But no, it's not torture, it's not revenge, it is justice, plain and simple and that was that and Thor will understand, he's sure, when he comes around. But then again this wasn't a very plain and simple situation, was it? And Thor loved his brother… Would he be willing to forgive Clint?

Clint sighed in deep frustration. He just didn't know what to do. He was stuck wanting to stay because he felt guilty and because he felt angry. It was like he didn't want to accept closure. Would anything ever be over for him?

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"Alright, then." Thor said, determination in his voice. "Let us go."

* * *

Thank you all so much for reading and until next time,

P.H.


	11. Slow-Bro

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing owned by someone else.

 **AN:** Hi guys, thanks for coming back for yet another chapter. Finally got around to updating. *Rolling my eyes at myself*

* * *

Natasha looked about her in fascination as they walked through the strange city. Alien's with long thin pointed ears and a gracefulness about them walked about, passing by in perfect normalcy. Some looked at Thor in recognition and bowed to him in respect before passing Natasha and Thor by, some glancing at Natasha a moment before leaving.

Some of them looked at her strangely, though not impolitely. She supposed her clothing was probably odd to them given that their style of clothing seemed rather medieval while her clothing was more modern looking… Well, at least on earth.

They all seemed like calm and peaceful folk. They wore exotic golden, red and blue ear-rings and smiled at each other in quaint politeness, as though it were a small town, but it wasn't a small town, it was a great city and their friendly behavior baffled Natasha to say the least. It would have been nice if the people of earth were more like this. Very nice.

"Where are we headed?" she asked Thor, as they walked through what seemed to be a marketplace of sorts. Children ran about with peculiar looking toys and archaic looking gadgets through the place, as the adults looked about the small shops, buying odd trinkets and foods. The roads were a trail of pearl-ish white and blue mixes of color.

"See that tower far off there, isolated from the rest of the city?" Thor said, pointing to the far left.

She looked beyond his index finger and saw a tower on a hill, decorated with all sorts of designs that looked in between ancient runes and gibberish, and it was indeed a bit more isolated then the rest of the towers and perhaps smaller too. There was a quiet and noble elegance about it and yet it seemed such a peaceful, quaint cottage-like, place; much like the rest of the place. But somehow this place seemed more… Mysterious. It was very odd that she could call this one little tower strange or mysterious, when she was already out of the earth and in a baffling fairytale. She wondered what the place had in store for her and Thor.

Thor began moving, swiftly, and she followed him, still looking about her in amazement. The city was incredibly fascinating; the people were so kind, humble and peaceful yet regal, proud and noble at the same time. She really liked it. Something about the place made her feel so mesmerized, and it was not just because it was an entirely different world then earth, there was something else. She felt somehow at home in this place so far from her actual home. It was simply a beautiful place… and it was different. Very different, but that's what she loved about it. It was a thrill to discover something new and sometimes you feel most at home in places where you're most out of place, she supposed. It was the same feeling she got when she was a little girl discovering music only much stronger. She felt more or less comfortable. She liked Alfheim.

As they walked, she began to feel her legs going uphill and the city was beginning to be more and more far away.

As the mountain-like hill was just about to become too steep, they hit a rock staircase and the tower was beginning to feel closer faster, as Thor upped the pace.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Steve honestly did not know how he could help anymore. Tony and Bruce were busy checking Loki's vitals and seeing if he was too cold or too hot. They had to be really careful, because Loki was human and this was very, very dangerous for him. Even if he survived, being human might make the process injure him permanently.

But Steve had nothing to do but wait for Thor. He didn't know very much about what Tony and Bruce were doing. He was beginning to feel very frustrated, what with all the waiting and doing nothing else. He felt like an idiot sometimes. That's what he gets for hanging around with geniuses and dealing with unrecoverable bafflements all the time, he supposed. It really got to him sometimes, how odd the world really was, as opposed to his wildest imaginations as a child. He couldn't really complain, though. He liked adventure. He liked the adrenaline rushing through his veins at a zillion miles per hour, his heart pounding with an odd sort of ecstasy. But this was beginning to be dull fast and the only reason his heart was pounding was because he worried that Thor would come back too late and kill Barton. He didn't like this on-edge feeling very much.

"When do you think Thor's coming back?" Steve asked no one in particular. He hated to think what Thor might do if he came back too late.

"I thought patience was one of your virtues." Tony said, mockingly. Steve rolled his eyes in annoyance. He thought he understood by then why Tony was so jocular even on the worst of days. He was used to troubles like these. Making cheap jokes and sarcastic remarks numbed things out and made it seem more comical and cheerful. Of course it might just be Tony's personality, but either way Steve would have to admit that he enjoyed the comical-relief. It made things seem less dark and foggy inside. Everyone needs a Tony as much as they don't want one.

"Isn't there anyway to tell when Thor's coming back?"

"There's no way to tell when Thor will be back. Hopefully by the end of the day." Bruce said.

"If he comes back too late, then Barton's dead-meat." Tony remarked, a slight seriousness at the edges of his tone, underneath his somewhat carefree voice. "Hey, has anyone seen Natty?" Tony asked, suddenly. Bruce stiffened and a cold look grew on his face.

Steve shrugged shortly. He had no idea.

"Someone should probably go find her, before she tells SHIELD about Loki and gets us killed, or worse: expelled."

Steve scrunched his eyebrows in confusion at the last few words Tony spoke, before leaving to find Natasha, internally thanking Tony for finding him, Steve, something to do besides wait in anxiety.

Tony didn't know if it would be a good thing that they were saving someone who caused a mass genocide on a small patch of the great mother earth. A while back, if someone had told him he would be willingly helping to save Loki's life, he wouldn't really know what to say other than "Hahaha. Right." It would have been such a ludicrous statement, yet here he was. Helping the bad guy. But was he a bad guy? This was another thing that confused Tony. Was he actually going to help them rescue Odin, as some sort of redemption on his part, or was he in some way tricking them. Tony would be really angry at himself if this was some kind of trap. _Really_ angry. He trusted Thor greatly as a friend and teammate, but he was beginning to wonder if he should tell SHIELD about Loki or something and maybe hide from Thor afterwards… He didn't want it to come to that, but Thor could be wrong about Loki's "benevolence". Loki could very well be tricking them and Tony might just have to tell SHIELD, before it was too late. Then again, Fury was going to find out eventually anyway, most likely. They weren't doing the bestess job hiding him. Given that one lady saw him in Stark tower and he may well have been recognized by someone when he was walking around in the city. Did he take a Taxi or something? Maybe Fury's peeps already knew and they were watching them in wait of something, but Tony had no idea. He could feel a headache coming on, it was only a matter of time. Tony rubbed at the bridge of his nose, tiredly as he yawned loudly.

"What're we gonna have for dinner later? Chinese?" Tony said. Bruce ignored him.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Natasha and Thor were standing in front of the tower. The smell of something burning, almonds and chocolate came to Natasha's nose. She wasn't sure if she liked the strange fragrance, it wasn't too sweet, and it wasn't a strong smell, but for some reason it made her feel uneasy.

Thor looked almost hesitant, as he looked at the slightly triangular shaped door. His face hardened, she could practically smell the aura of seriousness and determination coming from his eyes and posture. It made her tense up. She had no idea what was behind that door and she was about to find out. She felt nervous. Something that made Thor look almost scared? She wasn't sure if she was prepared for this, but she held her head high and her face hardened in equal determination. She was ready. If she was scared she would have to remind herself that she owed it to Thor to be strong and she was no coward for that matter. She could do this… Whatever it was that she would have to do, she could trudge through it. She was tired of her damp red ledger. Tired.

Thor lightly pushed the door open as Natasha let out her breath that she soon needed back again.

* * *

I'm very, very sorry about the slow update and I will be updating a lot faster in the future. Also I am evil for these constant cliffhangers, but I can't help myself, I think I have a problem o.o Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate it, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You guys are what make the world go 'round and all that rubbish. :)

Until next time, and I swear there will most definitely be a next time,

P.H.


	12. Where not on Earth is Natasha Romanoff?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else. As per usual.**

 **AN: Yippy skippy! New chappy! Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

The door tilted. A sound Natasha had heard many times in her life. So many doors had been opened, sometimes with little care and sometimes with great suspense; this was the most suspenseful time she had ever had with a door opening. She had no idea what to expect, behind it.

And then… Thor tipped it open.

Incredible. Just wow. She was no longer sure how many times the words 'amazing' and 'baffling' and whatnot spun around in her head like listening to a favorite song a thousand times and never getting tired of it. It was such an exhilarating feeling, the kind that made it worth it to go bungie jumping.

A giant stone head of a very odd looking animal lay magnificently, in the middle of the room. It was covered in all sorts of colorful jewels, yet its excruciatingly intimidating demeanor still stood strong, regardless of all its colors. Its mouth was wide, like a doorway, as it looked at them like a monster about to devour them. She could see it was obvious one could go inside it if they wanted to, but its mouth was so dark that it was like looking into a black hole. Its pitch black eyes glared into her soul with a look as though it knew her deepest thoughts and secrets, those of which she hadn't even dared telling or acknowledging to herself. She felt almost scared and certainly nervous over the stone beast's fixed blank stare. If Natasha could describe it at all, she would say it had the tongue of a serpent, the face of a tiger and ears of an elephant. The teeth in its mouth were razor sharp and small yet that made it seem even creepier. It had the dark menacing eyes of a shark, and the eyelids around it looked to be that of the eyelids of a chameleon. Though the head was made of stone, Natasha could tell where it was furry and where it was not. It was furry in random places, like a dog that had had a really bad haircut, with a hundred huge bald patches in the worst of places. It had slits for a nose. It was really quite a creepy sight to behold. She felt small under its glaring eyes and giant abyss of a mouth.

A tall elf stood by the head. His face was so distinctively serious and uptight compared to the friendliness of the other elves she had encountered before, that she wouldn't be surprised if she could recognize him in a crowd filled with a hundred elves, at first glance even. She didn't like his look very much. He had this snobbish and arrogant look about him.

The elf suddenly made eye contact with her, his face as blank as the statue he stood by. She shuffled a little, under his deep looming glare, but stood her ground. She wasn't going to give this obvious douchebag the satisfaction of any fear she possessed at that moment. His skin was whiter than she had ever seen before. Did he live in this tower forever or something? He didn't blink. At all. The entire room was growing continuously unnerving. She noted Thor clenching the hammer she hadn't noticed he took out, with a glare in his eyes staring at the statue with a look that told of upcoming danger. She kept her hand close to her gun holster.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Steve had been looking everywhere for Natasha. Where had she gone? He had soon found himself looking in the same areas more than twice and it was at this point that he finally decided it was time he asked the new AI, who he despises, because the AI clearly thinks he is better than Jarvis was. Tony swore he did not program his personality or his robotic Australian accent that constantly jumped into a Scottish accent every now and then for no clear reason at all. Besides, he didn't have the sass charm Jarvis had. He was just plain annoying and he had a beef with Steve. Steve just knew it.

"Quincy?" he said. No answer. He had to say the whole name, this was really irritating. Why couldn't Tony just make an AI that wasn't as pretentious and sarcastic as himself? Was that so much to ask? Was it? "Quincy… Maximillian Michelangelo… Tom-Tom… Quacker?" he said, with a sigh. He felt ridiculous saying the surname. He felt ridiculous saying the _whole_ name. It was absurd. Couldn't the AI at least have a nickname? It really wasn't that smart to have such a long, strenuous, name. What if there was an emergency?

"Yes…?" Quincy said, with a giggle. That… annoying giggle. Steve sighed. He just had to ask the AI one question and then he would be done. He just had to be careful what he said, or this would take FOREVER.

"Tell me where Natasha is." Steve said. Good. Straight forward.

"Say 'please'." Quincy said. For heaven's sake!

"Please." Steve growled slightly.

"I'm not sure I like your tone." Quincy said, mockingly.

"Please tell me where Natasha is?" Steve said, in as polite a voice as he could muster, hoping his irritation wasn't too clear to the AI.

"Okay… But first you have to do something for _me._ " Quincy said, in a sing-song voice.

"No. You're supposed to answer my questions without any _favors_." Steve said, exasperation in his voice.

"But that doesn't sound very entertaining… or appealing. I'm bored. _You_ have an obligation to un-bored me." Quincy said, a hint of entertainment already in his voice. He just loved to get Steve's goat.

"Fine." Steve almost yelled, "What do you want?" he asked, straining his voice a little.

"Hmm…" Quincy started, "Take nine steps backwards."

"Why nine?"

"Because I don't like even numbers. They're boring." Quincy said, matter-of-factly.

Steve felt humiliated and hated to play Quincy's games, but nine steps backwards wouldn't be that bad, would it? So he looked behind himself to see if he'd bump into anything, before taking his first step.

"Why are you moon-walking, Steve?" Quincy asked, feigning a voice of appall.

"What does that even mean?" Steve asked, frustrated. This was like talking to a spoiled child who thought his logic was completely flawless and above everyone else's logic… That really was what Quincy was in the first place, now that Steve thought about it. The only difference was, Quincy had more information than a computer and that made things worse for Steve when he was arguing with the AI.

"It's rather obvious, if only you used your human hardware to calculate the situation, you would know… Or not." Quincy said. This was a big waste of time for Steve. He sighed in deep frustration.

Steve finished the ninth step. "Alright. Tell me where Natasha is." He said, looking up at the walls with desperation.

"You never learn, do you? You have forgotten to say PLEASE again." Steve sighed, "Repeat after me, Stevie, P…" Steve knew he would have to confide, or Quincy wouldn't tell him anything.

"P." He said, clenching his teeth.

"Goodness, Steve. Potty-talk? Aren't you too old for that by now? Tch…tch…tch." Quincy mocked. "Politeness is smiles, you know." Quincy scolded, Steve sighed. "One more thing…" Quincy started, "Make me…" there was a pause, "COOKIES!" Quincy yelled, loudly. Steve jumped in surprise, as he glared at the walls like a maniac would.

"I don't have time to make cookies! What can you even do with cookies?" Steve asked, angrily.

"Would you like me to direct you to the closest temper-management facilities in this area?" Quincy asked, unapologetically.

"Alright..." Steve started in desperation, "How about if you tell me where Natasha is, I'll make you cookies afterwards?"

There was a moment's pause. "Do you promise?" Quincy asked.

"Yes. Yes, you have my word." Steve said.

"Which word?" Quincy asked.

"I promise, alright!" Steve said, frustration etched into every core of his tiring voice.

"Alright. Make them peanut-butter oatmeal cookies. Which Natasha are we referring to?" Quincy asked.

"The one that lives here sometimes and has red hair, _please_." Steve said, beginning to lose his patience. This was worse than talking to Tony.

"This 'Natasha' left in a radius almost too far away from the building however, it wasn't too far for me to see." Quincy said, "She accompanied Thor on his journey to the Bifrost."

"Are you serious?" Steve asked, in astonishment.

"No, I'm Quincy Maximilian Michelangelo Tom-Tom Quacker."

Steve was finally done talking to the AI, as he ran back to Bruce and Tony's Location.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"I need a cure for something." Thor said, his voice hard and determined.

"For what?" the elf asked.

"For an arrow. The arrow of Speks?" Thor said, gritting his teeth. Natasha could feel a tenseness in the room that told of something more. The elf looked at Thor as though he had done something wrong. Thor looked fiercely at the pretentious looking elf.

"You mean a cure for the arrow you… stole?" The elf said, raising one eyebrow as if to coldly say 'you have a lot of guts coming here'. It was at that moment that Natasha was reminded of Mr. Spock. She wasn't in a good place to judge Thor for stealing; after all she stole all the time, in and out of her job. She suspected they were going to have to do something big, in order to pay the elf off. She sighed. She was beginning to worry they would be too late on saving Loki. She didn't like Loki, but Thor was her best friend. Well, this was great!

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Steve ran into the room, tripping over a small machine, that he had no idea what they used for.

Tony laughed at him, for falling down as Bruce offered a hand to help him up.

"Hey, Steve? What took ya so long?" Tony asked, "Were you practicing tripping over everything?" he mocked.

"Can you please reprogram Quincy?" Steve sighed, "Natasha went with Thor."

* * *

 **Welp, I hope you guys like this chapter and I thank you all for reading!**

 **Until I return, and I promise all you Jane's, I will return for you,**

 **P.H.**


	13. Boxes

**Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else.**

 **AN: Thanks, everyone, for reading and I hope you all have a good time!**

* * *

Thor clenched his jaws at the elf's last sentence.

"That was years ago. I was a child." He growled at the elf, with anger and frustration in his mighty voice.

"Do not excuse yourself for your thieving ways." The elf said, calmly.

"Hey," Natasha interjected, "This cure we need isn't for Thor. It's for his brother." She said, hoping that might deter the elf's biasness somewhat.

"It makes no difference." The elf said, coldly. "The younger Odinson was even more a thief and trickster than Thor. The two Odinson brothers, they called themselves, for lack of a better title." Did this guy have no empathy or sympathy at all? Natasha wondered… "You must first pay for your deeds…" the elf said suddenly, a glint of malicious joy in his beady eyes.

"And how might I do that?" Thor said, determinedly. Natasha took a deep breath.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Bruce blinked in confusion at what Steve had just then said to them. _Natasha went with Thor_. "What do you mean, 'she went with Thor?'" Bruce asked, concern chalked all over his face as he looked at Steve for an explanation.

"That's what Quincy said." Steve said slowly, "She went with Thor."

Tony shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it. Natasha knows how to take care of herself, so I don't see any reason we should panic and flail our arms about just yet." He said, to calm the wild crowd. No good would come of Bruce in a panicked state, besides maybe a fun tea party with the hulk, if that was even possible and even then it would be stressful; the big guy would probably spill the tea and scald them all, while also cutting himself playing with the shards of the teapot he had broken beforehand. And of course he'd be bound to break whatever he was sitting on and he'd bend the teaspoons. Not as friendly a scenario as one might think when looking from afar.

"You mean… To the Bifrost?" Bruce asked. Shock and worry were beginning to form in his face simultaneously, like a couple of perfect ballerina's doing the same move as one another.

"Guys…" Tony started, "All we can do right now is keep Loki's vitals steady, wait for Thor and Nat to return and play Mario Cart. There's no room for worrying, it's pointless." He shrugged again, hoping he was helping un-tense the situation at least a little bit.

Bruce slouched into a chair. His face hidden by his hand, but Tony would have been able to tell from a mile away that he was stressed as all hell. Bruce looked as though he were holding something back.

"Let's all just reeeelax… 'ight?" Tony said. They had enough to worry about besides the Hulk making a fun entrance uninvited.

Bruce took a deep breath, "She's… she's not even on earth anymore…" he said.

"Yeah, she's… Out of this world. Ay-oh! Amirite?" Tony said. "Too bad I didn't have sunglasses ready for that one."

Steve glared at him. What did he do to deserve Steve's constant glaring, anyway? Tony smirked at him, Steve, which only made the captain look more irritated than ever.

Bruce couldn't think straight. His mind was set only on Natasha and the possible negative scenarios surrounding her safety and so he could hardly listen to a word Tony or Steve spoke. He felt rather guilty for having been so angry at her and he felt like a part of her went with Thor as an apology to not only Thor but him. But the fact of the matter was, she was risking her life. He just knew it. Wherever she was, she was definitely risking her life and nothing could deter him from that thought, try as he might. He knew well she could take care of herself, she had presented this fact to him on so very many occasions. But this seemed new… This was new! She was in Asgard! It was at that moment that Bruce wondered why they were risking so much for their genocide and power hungry enemy. And it was all so frustrating. It wasn't like he could go after her or anything. She was in an entirely different world! All he could do was wait. He felt like walls were closing in on him and he had no escape… No, no… He felt like walls were closing in on _Natasha_ and he couldn't stop it from happening. He couldn't do anything. Bruce let out a cracked breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding so long.

"You know what," Tony started, "Steve, how 'bout you go get some cards and poker chips and we'll all play a marvelous game of poker?" he finished.

Steve quickly left, happy to assist in any way at all. But it was then that he realized he was the errand-boy of the crew.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"How indeed." The elf said. "That, you will find out as you go along."

"What does that mean?" Thor growled at the elf who had a condescending look on his face, as always.

"Put your hammer down." The elf said calmly, to Thor.

"What? Never." Thor said, clenching his fists, as he held his hammer firm in his grasp.

"You must learn to fight without your greatest weapon, to earn another even greater one." The elf said.

"What does that mean?" Natasha asked. "What do you want us to do?" this elf was beginning to tick her off increasingly fast and she was starting to wonder if they would ever leave this world and save Loki in the first place!

"Whatever plans you have for us, I cannot be without Mjolnir." Thor said.

"But you have no other alternative. I will not give you the cure unless you cooperate."

Thor looked at the elf defiantly before dropping his hammer to the ground. "Fine. But you must be aware that we have a limited time to save my brother, before it is all for naught."

The elf looked at Thor, unimpressed, before stepping away a moment leaving Thor and Natasha alone in the still, intimidating and dim lighted, room.

"Do you have any idea what he has in store for us?" Natasha asked Thor as she looked beyond the direction the elf had left in.

"I'm not certain. Elves can be very unpredictable in the eyes of those foreign to them." Thor said.

"Isn't it that way when any foreigners and non-foreigners interact?" Natasha said, matter of fact.

"Yes, but even more so for the elves. They are a very odd people in everyone's eyes, other than their own eyes." Thor replied.

What did the elf have in store for them? Natasha had no idea, but she had a strong feeling that it would relate to danger, especially with Thor not being able to use his hammer. She had not expected any of this when Bruce had told her they had to go back to New York. Not one inch of this. But, speaking of Bruce, she hoped he wasn't going to go off looking for her. What if he thought she was missing and was worried for her? Natasha did not like the idea of Bruce worrying too much about her. She wondered if he might become the Hulk while worrying about her. No, no… if he noticed she was gone, he would probably think she was hiding from him. She didn't have to worry about him worrying for her safety too much. This made her sigh a sigh of relief. He was probably too busy taking care of Loki, anyway.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Steve shuffled in, carrying a box of poker chips and cards in his hands. Tony would have rejoiced aloud at the newfound entertainment to help them pass the time but then he noticed Steve was making one of those classic Steve faces again, it was the one where he was about to tell everyone something they did not want to hear but had to hear anyway. Bring it on, Steve. Bring it on.

Steve cleared his throat awkwardly, as he set the poker-set on a table. He then directed his attention to Bruce. "Bruce." He said, letting out another breath. "Bruce, I've been thinking…"

"Really? Wow!" Tony interrupted. "'Didn't know you could do that."

Steve ignored Tony and continued, "Don't you guys think… Maybe, I mean since they're really close friends, maybe we should tell Barton?" Steve said, fidgeting ever so slightly.

"Tell Barton what, now?" Tony asked, puzzled.

Steve paused, "About where Natasha is."

"What?" Bruce choked.

"Why would we tell him that?" Tony asked.

"Well, it's like I said… They're friends. Best friends, even if they don't really talk much anymore." Steve started, "I mean, what if something happens to Natasha, you know… and we never tell him she was in danger in the first place? He would be really angry and guys… he _is_ our friend; we can't just forget about that and we can't forget about all the good he's done. He has a right to know."

"Nothing's going to happen to Natasha." Bruce said, almost defensively.

"Do we need to tell Barton about _every_ single mission she goes on too?" Tony asked. He placed his hand to his ear, as if it were a phone, "Hello? Barton, this is Tony… yes… yes… my days been fine… how are you? Oh good… Look, buddy, I just wanted you to know Nat's crossing the street… nah, no trouble at all… Okay, buddy, bye now. Take care." Tony dropped his hand from his ear.

"This is different and you both know it." Steve said, firmly.

A woofing sound practically echoed in the room, as Asta trotted in, waggling her tail in glee as she went to Bruce's side.

"Who let the dog out of its cage?" Bruce asked, petting the dog as his eyes were fixed on her shaggy fur.

"Oh, my God, Bruce!" Tony exclaimed, "Asta is _not_ an it."

Steve looked at the both of them in frustration, "Guys!" Tony and Bruce both looked up from Asta at Steve who had a cross look on his face especially directed towards Tony, "We need to tell Barton about Nat. He deserves to know what's happening."

Tony glanced at Bruce, who was looking at Steve before looking back at Steve himself.

Tony shrugged, "Fine. Go call him up, then, if you absolutely must. It's none of my business, anyway…"

"Is it all right with you?" Steve asked, directing his attention to Bruce.

Bruce paused a moment before sighing, "Its fine." He said, looking down at the dog again. "You're right, anyway. Barton has a right to know."

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

The elf returned, a box with a handle in hand. It was embroidered with strange symbols. He looked at Thor and Natasha calmly as he held the box out to them.

"What's this?" Thor asked as he grabbed the box hastily. He was beginning to grow impatient and Natasha couldn't blame him for it. She'd want to get things done super fast too, if she were in his position. Hell, she wanted to get things done super fast already. She hated to think how Thor must have felt.

"It's not about what it is. It's about what's inside it." The elf said to Thor, the words 'obviously' and 'moron' soaked in his pretentious face as well as his voice.

Thor glared at him as he opened the box.

Natasha stepped next to Thor to look inside. A candle… A candle? And there was a tiny golden box next to it. Probably a lighter of sorts…

"What's this for?" Natasha asked.

Thor gruffly grabbed the lighter out of the box and examined it.

"You should be more careful when handling that…" The elf said.

Thor glanced at him, before placing the lighter back in the box, as carefully as he could, given all the worries he had at that moment.

The elf stepped next to the giant head as he gestured for Natasha and Thor to follow.

Natasha felt a bit nervous stepping towards the giant monster head, but she followed closely next to Thor as she kept her eyes locked on its black eyes.

"You shall enter into the mouth of the beast…" Natasha shivered a little at these words the elf spoke.

Thor was just about to rush into the mouth of the beast, when the elf stepped in his way.

"Get out of my path!" Thor yelled, "If we keep wasting time, my brother shall perish." He practically growled at the elf.

The elf remained un-phased as he looked at Thor calmly. "Time runs differently inside the beast…" he paused, Thor gritted his teeth in frustration, "and an hour there is but a minute here. You needn't worry about time. But I must explain a few things… When you enter, you shall find a dark maze. You must light up the candle to see your way through it, but the candle will melt if you use it too much. Once the candle melts, the lighting box shall also stop working and then you shall have to travel without knowing where you are or where you're going. When you get to the end of the maze, you will find a potion that will cure your brother. Be careful, as there are monstrous creatures inside this maze… If you decide to give up… you can say my name and you will appear back here, but without the potion, of course."

"I am not going to abandon my brother." Thor growled, determined.

"Just in case, my name is Alva." Alva stepped away from the mouth, "may luck live beside you." he said, as he gestured his hands to the mouth.

Natasha glanced at Thor. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. She had realized just then that she had had a feeling they would have to enter this beast's mouth from the very beginning, and there they were. She gulped and her mouth went a little dry. Alright…

She and Thor exchanged looks once more, he had a look of determination and she hoped she looked the same though she could not tell at that moment.

They stepping into the cave-like mouth, into the darkness.

* * *

 **Thanks everyone for reading! (At that moment where Steve 'shuffles' into the room with 'cards' and poker chips, the pun was not intended. I noticed it while editing.)**

 **I hope you all have a wonderful day/night/noon etc. and until next time,**

 **P.H.**


	14. Time Rushes By

**Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else.**

 **AN: I hope no one thought I gave up on this story or anything. It's been a while. I'm sorry this took so long! Writers block, procrastination and all that nonsense. Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoy and again I'm really sorry.**

* * *

As soon as Natasha and Thor stepped into the dark mouth of the beast, a light flashed unexpectedly and Natasha quickly squeezed her eyes shut. As she felt the light dim a little on her eyelids, she cautiously opened one of her eyes, following the other. She had to blink a few times before being able to fully see. When her eyes finally adjusted, they grew wide with bafflement.

It might have been nighttime where they were, but from the light of the moon and stars she was able to see something amazing. This was not a regular maze. It wasn't made of bushes or even hay. It was made of doors. Literally doors. They stood up right without walls or hinges. Just a bunch of doors. Some of them were closed while others were open and all of them together formed a giant maze on top of a grassy surface. It looked so odd, so whimsical. There were different types of doors and different colors too. Some of them looked like ones from modern earth, how was that possible? How was any of this possible?

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Natasha asked Thor. Thor simply shrugged, unconcerned in the way that he didn't even acknowledge he should be amazed at all. She had no idea how he could be so indifferent to all of this. She wondered about how many amazing things he must have seen in order to be so nonchalant about this.

"Come, we mustn't waste time." Thor said as practically charged to one of the doors, opening it.

"Thor!" Natasha yelled as she caught up with him. She had just had a thought, "Thor how about I hold the box?" she said, she felt Thor might light the candle too much or break it in his bear-like hands and that wouldn't be good.

"Why?" Thor said, almost defensively.

Natasha thought a moment, "I just feel like it might be a little safer with me. I mean you're in so much of a rush that you might drop it and lose it." She said, offering him a weak smile.

He nodded, "I understand. My frequent clumsiness is no great secret." He said, sighing as he offered her the box and she grabbed it, the soft weight of the box and the contents within making Natasha's hands drop slightly.

"Okay." She said calmly as she and Thor both glanced at the big dark red door that would lead them into the peculiar maze. "Okay, before we go in, let's evaluate the situation as much as we can." Natasha said. "First off, it's a good thing the majority of the… the doors are different from each other, that'll help us not get lost. But there's an issue here. There has to be a reason for why this maze is built using doors… I expect some of the doors are going to be closed and we might be wasting our times a lot going towards them to open them when they're actually locked, so this will be a lot harder than a regular maze. I can see we'll be wasting our times—"

"And we are certainly wasting our times standing here talking about this when we could find out for ourselves what the maze has in store for us." Thor huffed as he rushed passed Natasha in impatience. Natasha sighed as she sprinted to Thor's side, both now right in front of the door, which was a lot bigger up close. How many scary doors was Natasha going to have to open this day? Alva had mentioned monsters, what if a monster jumps out at them when they open a door? She hoped this wouldn't happen, but hoping didn't deter her feelings of unease at all. She sighed as she clasped the handle of the box tight in her hands.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Steve was holding the outdated phone in his hands, ready to call Barton. Tony had given him the phone. As much as Tony loved teasing him with new technology, he didn't have the heart to buy him one of those complicated touch screens. If he got him one of those, Steve would be trying to figure the thing out all day, for crying out loud!

Steve looked as though he were having a hard time finding Barton's number so Tony, getting a little impatient with the other man, snatched the phone out of his hand and immediately pressed Clint's number. He couldn't help but smirk at Steve who looked at him as though he had just performed a magician's trick.

Steve sighed, annoyed, as he grabbed the phone out of Tony's hand and pressed it to his ear in wait.

Tony hoped it wasn't an absolutely terrible idea to tell Clint about Natasha.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Clint was still staying in the apartment, sitting on the bed, thinking. Yes, he knew he was being a coward, but somehow he just couldn't face his wife, or his children for that matter. He couldn't pinpoint why, but he just didn't want to face her. She'd probably ask questions and he couldn't blame her. He had promised his life in SHIELD was over and that promise went hand in hand with the promise that he wouldn't be going on any wild goose chases or dangerous adventures anymore and look where he was now!

The sound of his phone ringing suddenly blasted in his ear causing him to jump a little as he stumbled with the ringing machine that was on the other side of the bed, stuffed slightly in the covers.

"Yeah." He said, quickly, as he finally put the phone to his ear.

"Clint?" he heard Steve's voice say loudly. What could Steve want? Clint braced himself. Steve was probably going to berate him. Give him the stink eye through the phone. That seemed like something Steve would just love to do.

"What…?" Clint said.  
"This. Is. Steve. Steve. Rogers." Steve said, very slowly.

"You don't have to talk so slow, Steve… I can hear you fine." Clint said.

"Okay…!" Steve said, a bit too loud for Clint's ears to handle, then there was a silence. Clint felt an awkwardness come over him. At least they weren't talking in person because this would be a hell of a lot more uncomfortable conversation if that were so.

"You don't have to yell either." Clint said. "You talk on walkie-talkies all the time, what's so different about a phone?"

"Sorry," Steve said, "This a very small phone. I'm just trying speak clearly so you can hear me." He said in his normal Steve voice. He didn't sound like he was about to yell at Clint for some reason. What else could he want?

"What do you want Steve?" Clint said, sighing.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Thor opened the door, and rushed into the maze as Natasha followed, a slight shiver going down her spine at the thought of this dark and dangerous place. She greatly hoped they weren't going to get lost in this place, though it was practically a labyrinth from what she had observed. She knew Thor would never give up and leave by calling Alva's name. They would have to trudge on, no matter what. Thor loved his brother far too much to ever let him go and give up on him.

There were two doors, a blue one to the left and a green one to the right. They could either go to the left or right of the maze. Natasha realized then they were going to have to rely on instinct a lot while in here and she also had a feeling that it wasn't a very good idea to stay in one place for too long.

"Which way should we go?" Natasha asked Thor, because she honestly had no idea, it was pretty much a fifty/fifty deal as there didn't seem to be any clues for them to follow. She was really hoping they didn't make a mistake first.

"It seems we have no choice but to guess our way around." Thor said, then he pointed to the right. "This way." He said, as he opened the door.

They walked on and on. She soon felt the weight of the box she held and her shoulders more strongly as they stepped through the grass. She was beginning to feel like the dinosaurs on Fantasia traveling in the hot sun until they couldn't feel their limbs, even though she knew it wasn't really that bad.

Thor's pace had gone a little too high at this point.

"Thor." Natasha whispered as she looked around her in worry.

"What?" Thor said aloud as he kept up his fast pace. Natasha caught up with him, out of breath.

"Thor we shouldn't run. We need to be careful." She said, just a little irritated with Thor's attitude.

Thor rolled his eyes, "Why should we? Do you fear I might stumble over a stray rock and perish?" he asked, smirking at Natasha as he continued to wear his quick pace and loud mouth on both his sleeves.

"The elf said there's 'monsters' out here, Thor. We need to be careful!" Natasha hissed.

Thor slowed down a little only to turn to Natasha with a look of annoyance and slight anger on his face.

"Are you attempting to insult my strength?" he asked, "I am not incompetent without my hammer." He said.

Natasha sighed in exasperation, "Yes, I know." She said, "I never said you were, all I'm saying is we shouldn't move around so fast. I know we could probably find a way to take on whatever creatures that attack us, but just to be on the safe side… Why don't we just never find out what would happen in that situation?" she asked.

"What about Loki?" Thor asked, "Should not we make haste for the sake of _his_ survival?" he said.

"Thor…" Natasha said, before taking a deep sigh. "Thor, time runs differently here, remember? An hour is like a minute or second or something? We have time to waste. We'll probably escape this place and have the potion within one to two minutes time. That's not that much."

Thor sighed. "I'm afraid I do not like the idea of going too slow in this place," he paused, "I worry time might go by in a flash rather than how time was described to go by in here. I don't like this place, Natasha, and I want to leave here as soon as possible." He said.

"I know," Natasha said, she understood his worry, "Trust me, I want to get out of here as soon as possible." She said, as she looked around at the confining area. "We just have to suck it up and get through this." She said, determined.

Thor nodded, in understanding and then they went on again.

* * *

 **I really am sorry for the slow update. I don't really know what happened, time just went by really fast for some reason. But, anyhow, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **Until next time, P.H.**


	15. Confrontations!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else.**

 **AN: Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoy chapter fifteen of the story.**

* * *

"Clint, I'd like you to come to Avengers tower. We need to talk." Steve said it in a nervous yet stern voice. Was he afraid of Clint or something? Ha— no, but maybe he was just uncomfortable with the conflict they would have to deal with. Maybe Steve's arguments with Tony finally got to him and now Steve felt nervous because he had a gnawing feeling that the other person would win every time he got in an argument.

It was then that Clint realized suddenly that he was rambling in his head and Steve was standing on the other end of the line waiting for him to answer like a soldier waits for orders, patient and calm and he felt a twinge of guilt about making him wait.

"…Okay." Clint said, wondering for a moment if Steve had hung up before checking his phone to see that no, no he didn't.

"Sure, what's going on?" Clint asked, now waiting for Steve to answer.

"We can talk about it when you get here." Steve said. "It's… kind of complicated. I don't want to tell you this over the phone."

Steve hung up and Barton sighed, a worry coming over him, that worry one gets when they suddenly wonder if they left the oven heating or left the front doors unlocked. It was a cautious feeling, one he didn't have all that often. He usually just did things without thinking, it gave him more time and he was good at improvising, but now he was left to think and it made him more… Nervous he supposed. He hoped nothing besides an angry row would occur, but at the same time he could somehow tell, from the way Steve spoke and how he sounded over the phone, that something else was up.

Well, as he had speculated before, Clinton F. Barton wasn't one for too much speculation, it could lead to procrastination and not getting things done. Natasha always was better at it than him, though she too often thrived on impulse and improvising.

So, with one swift step out the apartment building, Barton was done making conversation with himself in his mind and ready to face Steve and probably the rest of the crew head on. He could not and would not dwell with silly worries rather than face his former teammates and possibly, but hopefully not, brand new enemies.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

They had been walking for quite a while now, well, at least from their perspective, but it gave Natasha ease when she remembered they had plenty of time. She felt a large weight lift over her shoulders every time she let her mind drift to this. They had plenty of time and, as long as they kept walking and were careful, this whole thing would be finished in no time at all.

To ease her mind a little more from her fears of a 'monster' appearing out of nowhere and ripping them both to shreds, she decided she would try to make conversion with Thor who was now walking in a steady pace beside her.

"Why does Loki hate you so much?" Natasha found herself asking aloud. She felt a little regret, but Thor didn't look angry as he glanced at her a moment before looking forward again, instead his face grew rather sad and melancholic.

"Because he thinks I hate him." Thor said, honestly. He smiled a little, bitterly, and his eyes were shining just a little brighter and not in a good way.

"Why does he think that?" She asked.

"I don't know, I never hated him… well… I only hate him sometimes, I suppose." Thor chuckled a little. "He can be a bit of a problem sometimes."

"Yes." Natasha said. "Yes, he can." She said. "But the word 'Problem' seems like a bit of an understatement."

"Sometimes I wonder if only I had been a better brother to him," Thor said, suddenly. "He mightn't have made any of the terrible mistakes he made at all and we might both be at peace in Asgard, as brothers and friends… and family."

"Thor, maybe you did influence Loki's actions a little, but that doesn't change that they were _his_ actions, not yours, and you shouldn't feel guilty for his mistakes." Natasha said, firmly.

Thor looked downcast, "Thank you, Lady Natasha, but my regret for Loki hardly wavers, regardless of your kind words of encouragement. I know I could have done something, I could have been a better brother, more interested in his pursuits and interests, but I was foolish and only cared for my own interests. I wanted to hunt and swordfight and battle deadly foes and be reckless for the sake of glory and he wanted to master sorcery and learn knowledge and create an uproar in the kingdom just because he could. He is mischievous and cunning and subtle and I am loud and rash and bold… I just wish I could find a way to relate to him, understand him, I wish I could have found that a long time ago." Thor said.

"But you both can be a bit reckless at times…" Natasha said after a moment of thought.

Thor snorted. "I suppose so…" he said. His eyes looked rather far away now, as though he were remembering something.

He sighed a sort of bittersweet sounding sigh, filled with subtle yet so unsubtle emotion. It made Natasha's breath hitch a little and she didn't know why.

"I wish I could fix him, save him from himself, but I don't think I'm capable, I fear I only make it worse." Thor started. "I wonder if he'll ever become my little brother again, innocent, jesting, he was always there to help me even when my friends were not; he was my best friend. I know it's silly, but I hope he will find some form of redemption… maybe someday."

Natasha thought about what he said, "I think it's possible…"

"But you— you do?" Thor said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Natasha nodded slowly, "Yeah… I mean, who am I to talk anyway? I'm not fit to judge anyone, I'm no Disney princess. I still have my own problems I've been trying to work out. I've made mistakes, we all make mistakes, Loki's mistakes being particularly big, but still I can't say he can't redeem himself… It would take a long time for him to fully redeem himself and none of the lives he destroyed would ever be forgotten, but that doesn't mean he can't move forward and become a better person from thereon and maybe someday I'll forgive him. I mean, I'm not saying it's likely that he could change, because his pride is a huge factor in the matter and pride has stopped many people from changing to one thing or another and I'm not a starry eyed optimist at all, I'm a realist, but it's still not 'impossible', I think…" Natasha said.

Thor gave her a mesmerized and happy look, as though she were a saint, "Thank you…" Thor said, and he had such a thankful look on his face, Natasha thought he might tear up a little. She hadn't realized until just then, but they had stopped walking at some point in their conversation. She shrugged a little, awkwardly, about to start walking again when Thor suddenly crushed her with perhaps the greatest bear-hug she had ever had. If there were bear-hugging competitions he would win every one of them without effort. "Thank you…" he said again, "For having faith in my brother, if only a little… It gives me more hope than you could possibly imagine." Natasha patted him on the back. She didn't really know how to respond, other than hugging him back. She could feel a tear from his eyes drop on her own cheek.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"Mr. Barton would like to see you." The receptionist said on the phone. Barton rolled his eyes a little at this. Right, he couldn't wait to get pounded by a bunch of superheroes, namely Thor. She was using the word "like" just a bit too freely. Okay maybe he was over exaggerating a little, but he knew he'd get a bit of a pounding from them and he didn't want to know how much a _bit_ of a pounding could be. At best, they'll scream in his ears until he goes deaf.

" _Okay. Gain him access."_ He heard Tony say in his regular Tony voice. He took a deep exhale.

After the receptionist gave him details about where the Avengers were, he left in a hurry. He wanted to come and leave this place as soon as possible.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

They had stopped hugging a while ago and were walking again. They hadn't spoken since then and Natasha thought it was rather pleasant, peaceful. She liked this. She hadn't realized this before, but it really wasn't all that often that she got to just have a nice quiet, tranquil, walk.

After a while, she could see something in the short distance. They had found a more open room in the maze and there it was, the potion. She and Thor both sighed a sigh that probably neither of them knew they had been holding and Thor rushed passed Natasha in a hurry, a genuine grin on both their faces, when suddenly— it appeared out of nowhere, it's sharp teeth dripping with something that looked like a venom of sorts and it's empty eyeballs staring into her soul, it was the statues head in full form and alive, perhaps twelve feet tall. The grin quickly swept away from both of their faces as they saw the toothy grin on the monsters face staring right at them. It was guarding the doorway to the potion. Natasha felt the peaceful atmosphere around them that she had so enjoyed vanish in an instant, left with fear, nothing but fear.

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 **Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you all enjoyed and until next time,**

 **P.H.**


	16. Thor's Cape

**Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else.**

 **AN: Hi guys. Thanks for all the reviews and all the follows and favs! I never expected to get so many follows, it's almost at one-hundred! That's incredible! Thanks so much. To a reviewer who said my story was a bit slow, sorry. I'm trying as hard as I can to not make it seem rushed is the thing, I hate reading stories that are too rushed, but I'll try to work on my writing. I'll also check more thoroughly for errors and try to make my writing more realistic. Thanks for the constructive criticism, it was highly appreciated! I hope you all like this next chapter. Thanks for reading, everyone.**

* * *

Natasha grabbed her holster but looking down she saw that her gun was missing. Alva must have taken it. Her eyes darted about her, hoping to find something— no, _anything—_ that could possibly help them in any way.

Thor rushed passed her and before she knew what was happening he was attempting to wrangle the monster to the ground with his bare hands and it threw him across the ground and he hit the wall with a grimace.

"Thor!" Natasha yelled and she rushed over to his side.

"I'm fine." Thor huffed as he slowly got up on his feet.

She and Thor both turned to face the monster again and it thrashed about as if angered.

"Do you have any plans?" Natasha asked.

"Not really…" Thor said, glancing at her a moment.

"Well… What if…" She stared at the beast "What if one of us distracts it somehow… while one of us runs as fast as we possibly can, grabs the medicine and we call Alva's name and get the hell out of here? Pretty simple, right? I mean, we don't really need to fight it, do we…? " She said, looking at Thor.

"Very simple…" Thor said, thoughtfully "But whilst there is very little complication involved, it will still manage to be a difficult task… We may only have one chance."

Natasha nodded. "Who will do the distracting?" she asked him.

"I will." he said, gritting his teeth.

"What are you gonna do?"

Instead of answering Natasha, Thor walked somewhat stiffly towards the beast, before turning to look at her halfway; though he had fear evident in his eyes, he had a posture that told Natasha he was unyielding and determined and she suddenly recognized that this glint in his eyes was less fear then it was an unbeatable courage that resonated in him so strongly that Natasha felt it too and at that moment she had this undying feeling that they would make it out of this. She clenched her fists almost automatically, standing ready to run.

Thor glared at the creature with all his might as if expecting it to suddenly be afraid of him and yield. It just stared blankly, it wasn't thrashing about anymore or moving at all, just staring at him.

"Will you not fight me, beast? Are you too afraid?" Thor asked the creature, trying to taunt it. Natasha felt she was ready to make the run and she took a deep breath, but the beast looked at Thor as if completely indifferent, its blank gaze like a black hole that had no end. "Are you too imbecilic to understand me?" Thor asked the beast, holding out his hands as if inviting the monstrosity to attack him. The creature suddenly turned its cold glare towards Natasha's, unblinking and Natasha felt herself freeze where she was, the back of her neck tingling as if something was behind her even though she knew there wasn't. That dead stare looked straight into her soul and further. Her throat grew dryer by the second and she didn't dare move from the spot she was in or stop looking into its dead eyes.

Thor wasn't getting any results and Natasha didn't really know what to do but stand there in wait. She hoped Thor would come up with something soon.

He suddenly started to untie his cape and he folded it a little before lifting his arms up as if offering the scarlet cape to the monster.

It looked at the cape a moment, as if in thought and then it gently grabbed the cape out of his hands with its teeth and looked at him, suddenly Natasha could see a shine in its eye that proved she hadn't been looking into dark eternal abysses. The creature slowly stepped away from the doorway, staring at Thor the whole time. Natasha could somehow see something very old and ancient in its eyes, something somehow very wise.

She slowly walked towards Thor, looking at the creature the whole way, still nervous that it might attack.

The potion was right there in front of them, up close it looked like a blue flask, embroidered with odd little designs.

Thor and her both sprinted at that point towards the potion. Thor grabbed it and held it tightly in his hands and then the world around both of them evaporated into a whirlpool and it became whiter and whiter until they felt their feet being lifted and then… everything went black.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

There they were, staring at him; Steve, Bruce and Tony. Clint felt his forehead sweat slightly, he really wasn't up for this.

"Barton." Bruce said, before Steve could say anything, glaring at Clint as though trying to channel superman's laser-eyes. Clint hadn't expected Banner to say his name with such anger and it startled him, he gulped.

"Clint…" Steve paused. Unlike Banner, who looked extremely angry with him at that point, Steve seemed less angry at anyone and more grave and serious and there was sympathy in his eyes as he looked at both of them as though he was going to give them bad news.

But Steve still hadn't said anything else and Clint was beginning to lose his patients. "What? You called me so you could glare holes into my eyes till I'm blind?" Clint asked, looking at all of them. "What'd I even do to piss you off?" he asked, looking at Bruce, "I've helped you." he said, defensively.

"Helped? Helped With what?" Banner practically spat, approaching Clint. "You haven't " _helped_ " with anything, you've made things worse!" he said, with anger.

"What the hell did I ever do to you?" Clint asked. "I didn't come here to hear anyone's judgement. And how did I make things worse exactly?"

Before the archer knew what was happening, Banner slapped him straight in the face and he felt a sharp pain on his cheek. "What the fucking hell?" He growled, touching his cheek a moment.

"You are such a prick, you know that?" Bruce asked, "Always on this high pedestal, like you can never do any wrong, like you think you have superior morals, you _don't_."

"What are you even talking about?" Clint asked, in frustration. "Are you defending Loki or something?"

"You've been like this long before this Loki incident." Bruce said.

"When did I ever say I had higher morals than any of you?" Clint asked, "Never."

"It doesn't matter if you say it out loud or not, we all know you think you're a saint." Banner said.

"What?" Clint exclaimed, incredulously. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? You're constantly making judgement calls on other people because of what they've done, regardless of the fact you're guilty of all sorts of terrible crimes." Bruce said, his face was growing greener and redder within seconds. "You've constantly managed to make things worse because of it, like right now." Bruce said.

Clint was trying hard not to yell, he did not want to agitate Bruce too much and have the hulk ruin the room around them and kill everyone.

"But I'm seeking redemption for what I've done in the past." Clint said, "Can you say the same for Loki?"

"By the _past_ do you mean early this morning?" Banner asked.

"Also," Tony chimed in, stepping into the conversation. "As far as we know Loki _is_ trying to ' _redeem'_ himself, so…"

"Please," Clint said, turning to Stark, "Whatever Loki said, he's lying, you should be smart enough to know that."

"Sure." Tony said, "Sure! Maybe he is. Sure! You can have a free pass for redemption. You can be a trained puppy, but Loki, yeah, he's going to mark his territory everywhere no matter how hard we try to train him. I think I'm siding with Bruce on this one."

"That's enough." Steve said, they both ignored him.

"Really? You're going to use a stupid dog metaphor to describe redemption? And you're really going to defend Loki, after all he's done to all of us?" Clint retorted.

"I'm not defending him, I just think none of us should be too judgy considering all the crap we've caused ourselves—"

"See?" Bruce said, glaring darts at Clint. "You're completely oblivious. No one here is fully trusting of Loki, but none of us are going to assume he can't change either. You'd think someone like you would understand that even the worse people can change for the better." Bruce said. "And you think you're entitled to harming anyone in the first place? Like you're above the law or something? Just because he did wrong to you doesn't mean you should stoop down to his level, or to an even lower level for that matter. You've put Natasha in danger because of your—"

"Wait? What? How have I put her in danger? Where is she?" Clint asked, confused. Did Thor harm Natasha to get back at Clint? It didn't seem like something Thor would do, but what else could this mean? He supposed anything could happen if they were actually siding with Loki rather than him.

"Natasha went with Thor to get a healing thing for Loki." Tony said.

"If it wasn't for you being the dickhead that you are, she wouldn't be in danger." Bruce said, pointing his finger at Clint. "You just had to have your revenge, didn't you? And you don't care about 'Thor', you don't care that he's Thor's brother. You only care about yourself. You don't care about the consequences to your actions. You don't care about the rest of your teammates."

"None of you are my teammates anymore, but that is _not_ true, I _do_ care." Clint said, "I'm not a selfish asshole. And I had no way of knowing I was putting Natasha in danger!"

"We're supposed to help people." Banner said, "Not shoot them."

"I don't 'help' people anymore, Bruce, I'm _retired_."

"So it's just a job for you, then?"

"That is not what I mean!"

"It's what you said!"

"STOP IT NOW!" Steve yelled and they all stood silent and there was a pause, "Enough of this petty bickering." Steve continued, glad he had finally gotten their attention "Natasha chose to go with Thor and she can take care of herself, they'll both be fine, there's no room for worrying and blaming things on each other. And no, no one knows where Loki stands, so we need to be cautious, but we also have to give him the benefit of the doubt, that's our only option because we need his help." Steve looked at all of them, Clint's and Bruce's hands were both clenched into fists and Steve didn't want anything violent to happen, he took a deep and anxious breath and exhaled. "This is bigger than all of us, so, while we all hate Loki to a certain degree, we need to trust him."

"What do you mean we need his help?" Clint asked. "What's bigger than us? Did the world start ending while I was gone? And where is Loki, anyway?"

"He's in there." Tony said, pointing at a machine in the back of the room. The inventor stepped over a box to get to the machine and started tampering with it. Clint glared at the machine. He couldn't help it. Now that he knew Loki was just in there that whole time, it made him feel so angry and irritated. Could Loki hear them arguing the whole time?

"Can someone answer my other questions?" Clint asked, glancing at Bruce a moment. The man was still glaring at him, clearly angrier than what would be considered safe, he looked like he was itching to slap him in the face again and Clint backed away a little.

"We need Loki's help finding Odin…" Steve said, "He was captured and without him, Odin, earth's in danger. Loki knows where he is, at least that's what he claims, and we just need Loki to lead us there."

"Why can't he just give directions?" Clint asked.

"Maybe it's too complicated for that or something." Steve said.

Clint snorted, rolling his eyes at all of them. "You're all putting way too much faith in someone who once tried to rule the world, ever wonder if that might just still be his goal? Stark, you can't be _this_ stupid."

"If we just ignored him," Tony started "then we would have no leads on where Odin is and we'd be basically doomed." Tony said, "Honestly I don't like this either but we kind of have no choice but to trust the guy, it's the only plan we've got right now."

Clint sighed, "Maybe so… But we have to be cautious."

" _We?_ " Steve said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. Was Clint going to join them or something? Before Steve could ask about it, they suddenly heard a loud noise, like a strong storm had spontaneously started outside the window. Clint and Bruce both rushed to the window to see Natasha and Thor outside, the wind around them quickly disappearing. Thor had something in his hands and for some unknown reason his cape was missing.

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 **Thanks so much for reading! Sorry about the unusually long authors note up above. I hope you all enjoyed and until next time,**

 **P.H.**


	17. The Pursuit for Redemption

**Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else.**

 **AN: Hello! I can't wait to see Captain America: Civil War. So exciting! I hope it's as good as people say (: Thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews and thank you for reading this next chapter, I hope you all enjoy…**

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Thor flew in through the window, hammer in hand, not wanting to waste any more time than he had to. Bruce looked out the window at Natasha who was staring back at him below, just staring and then she ran into the building and he could no longer see her.

"Where is Loki?!" Thor asked, looking around him frantically.

Clint quickly maneuvered his way to the corner of the room, so Thor couldn't see him.

Tony opened the machine and Thor rushed to Loki's side, pushing Tony slightly in his urgency. The thunder god lifted Loki up a little before taking what looked like a fancy flask that must be the potion and slowly taking it to Loki's mouth.

Loki was unconscious, so Bruce went over to help and Thor opened Loki's mouth slightly and gently gave him the medicine, his face fell in relief at every drop Loki swallowed and when the bottle was empty he dropped it to the ground and lifted Loki's rather limp body up for a great bear-hug, the kind of hug that quietly but affectively said: _"I will never let anything bad happen to you."_ it made Tony feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He wondered at that moment if Loki understood just how much his brother cared about him; he had to be pretty oblivious given all the times he had screwed Thor over. Tony didn't really know much about Thor's past with Loki; Thor had never discussed it. He had wondered a great deal about this. Was it really a simple sibling rivalry as Thor had told him once? But, it had to be something more than that. Tony could only wonder.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Thor, Steve, Tony and Bruce carried Loki away to another room that had a nice lock, but was comfortable enough. They lifted him up onto the bed and laid him down placing a blanket over him.

"You know guys, I doubt we really needed all these people to carry this one guy." Tony said looking at all of them. "You two lumberjacks could have done it all by yourselves." He said, referring to Thor and Steve. "You should be thanking me right now, for participating."

"So… do we have a plan for how we're going to go about rescuing Odin?" Steve asked, they both looked up at him, incredulously. A plan? They hardly knew any details at all. The plan they had was as follows: Hear some information from Loki before he takes them to this place and they save Odin. They couldn't squeeze in too many strategies, other than being sneaky, without more information about where they were even going, it could be Gallifrey, the Land of Oz or friggin' Candy-Mountain for all Tony knew.

"Well, we don't really have enough info to plan anything, so…" Tony said, looking straight at Steve and trying to give him his best 'you are the divine moron' face.

"No, that's not what I… No…" Steve started, "I mean, when Loki wakes up and tells us where Odin is, what exactly will our plans will be on saving Odin?" Steve asked.

"Shouldn't we be saving that question for when Loki wakes up and gives us the details?" Tony asked, "We already know the big picture, Odin's somewhere on another planet and Loki's gonna lead us there and we're going to sneakily rescue Odin, the damsel in distress, simple as that." Tony said, shrugging.

"But it's not that simple…"

"We'll be able to form a good plan when Loki wakes up and tells us everything he can." Bruce said, "Tony's right, no need to ask unnecessary questions."

Thor dragged a seat towards Loki's bedside and sat on it, brushing away a hair from Loki's eyes, "I don't want you bombarding my brother with questions and inquiries the moment he awakes. Give him but a small amount of time to relax a little, before any talking. He probably still sees all of you and even me as enemies who might try to harm him, especially after… Barton." His eyes darkened a little when he said Clint's name.

"Sorry, Thor, but it's urgent that we rescue Odin immediately, before anything bad happens." Steve said, firmly.

"No… Thor's right." Bruce said, "Loki's been through some stuff… I mean he doesn't need us in his face as soon as he wakes up, he probably won't say anything at that point anyway."

"But do we have enough time for that?" Tony asked.

"We do." Thor said, briefly.

"Okay." Tony said, "It's all good with me, then."

"Do you guys think Clint's still here?" Steve asked all of a sudden.

"Clint was here?" Thor asked, slightly loud.

Tony hoped the archer had left by now, so there wouldn't be any more Barton-drama. He had had enough of that for one day. Barton was like the kid at kindergarten who wouldn't share any crayons and caused an uproar of anger in everyone else and Tony was the kid who just couldn't bother to care about the crayons anymore and just wanted Barton to share the damn crayons just to stop the commotion. But geez, now Tony was getting pissed off at the guy, can't he just… Fuck off, or something? There's enough drama on all those shitty soap operas —that Tony definitely doesn't guiltily watch when he's bored— to fit into Clint's increasingly annoying face.

"Clint." Tony said, suddenly, "What a guy, you know?" Everyone looked at him confused.

"I need a word with Barton, where is he?" Thor asked, getting up from out of his seat in the blink of an eye.

"Guy's… Do we really need all this drama?" Tony asked, "Seriously it's starting to really bum me out. Can't we all just be happy that our best friend Rudolph here is safe and sound?"

"Can somebody stay and watch Loki?" Thor asked, ignoring Tony.

"I can do that." Tony consciously shrugged, he mind-shrugged, he wouldn't have to deal with all the carnage that was Thor confronting Clint, if he was here, telling bedtime stories to the god of shenanigans. And hey, there's a T.V. in here, maybe he could finally see what's so great about Game of Thrones or something, that'd be fun.

"Be careful." Thor said.

"I'll be sure to not stub my toe." Tony answered.

Thor sighed and Steve gave Tony the _'You shouldn't joke around all the time'_ face and Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose, stressfully.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

When they came back, without Tony by their side, which Steve secretly felt a little relieved about, they could see Barton, standing there, a very awkward look on his face, badly masked by the strong features of tenseness. Natasha wasn't there yet. Barton looked a bit… Determined? Like he was ready to man-up and say something. Steve hoped that 'something' was an apology. Though, he suspected that earlier on Clint was going to tell them that he was going to join them in their search for Odin, Steve was ready to welcome him back into the team, but then again he would probably be too distracting to the other members anyway, so he wasn't sure about the whole thing. Thor was now glaring at him, Clint, quietly.

"Where'd the dog come from?" Barton asked nervously, for lack of anything else to say, as Asta trotted her way towards them.

"Why aren't you gone already?" Bruce asked, coldly.

"Um…" Barton started, He could see them all staring at him expectantly and he gulped a little.

Steve heard the door open behind them and Bruce's face change from anger into something else, a calmness maybe? Turning his head towards the door, he saw it was Natasha. He saw Clint freeze awkwardly and uncomfortable at the spot and Steve's eyes quickly diverted to a very interesting crack on the wall.

Natasha looked about her, Clint was there for some odd reason and she glanced at him a moment, he looked at her and nodded in understanding. Her eyes locked with Bruce's and she went towards him almost automatically and stopped when they were right in front of each other.

"Bruce." She said. She wasn't really sure what else to say. She thought she had prepared for this in the other room enough, but no. Apparently not, because she had forgotten what she'd been planning on saying and now she felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

Bruce suddenly embraced her holding her tight as though he feared she would vanish in his arms and she held him tight too. She felt her tenseness disappear in his arms.

Then they both pulled back from the embrace, both holding onto each other still, "You really scared me, Natasha." Bruce said and the anger he might of had before had washed away.

"Sorry about that…" She said, she was still a little speechless and could think of nothing else to do or say, so she drew in and kissed him and he kissed back and it was nice and she felt a rush of happiness.

"Um." Barton said, looking as bright as a tomato. "I have something I need to say…"

"An apology?" Bruce demanded, turning to Barton.

"Yeah…" Barton said, "I don't trust Loki and I'm never going to forgive him for everything he's done to _all_ of us, but I am sorry that I hurt Thor and put him and Nat in danger." He glanced at both Thor and Natasha at that moment, but still stood tall under the weight of their faces.

"That was mine and Thor's choice, Clint." Natasha said.

"I know, but I'm the one who caused it to happen and for that I'm sorry. You're right, Bruce." He turned his attention to Banner, "I shouldn't be stooping down to his level…" then there was a pause.

"What's with the sudden change of heart?" Bruce asked, looking very much surprised by Clint's words.  
"I don't know, I just… I'm tired of all this fighting and yelling and I'm beginning to realize that it's all pointless and so I want to make amends in the best —and maybe only— way I know how, I want to help you guys with this rescuing Odin thing."

" _Oph!_ " Steve made the noise before he could stop himself, "I knew it." He mumbled.

"I may forgive you, if you prove yourself to be the ally and friend you once were." Thor suddenly said, they had all forgotten he was in the room in the first place, he had been so oddly quiet. "But if you so much as touch Loki— I will do whatever it takes to protect my brother." He finished. And he clearly meant it.

"I know." Clint said, nodding.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Tony fidgeted about, he hadn't really planned what to do, he just wanted to avoid all the fighting most definitely happening in the other room. But, he no longer felt up to watching anything and that left him with his good friend _'Mr. Boredom'._ He glanced at Loki, lying in the bed. He looked like he was getting some color in his skin, if only a little. His dark circles were going pretty fast too, Tony wondered when the last time Loki got a good night sleep was.

But then Loki shifted a little and his eyes slowly opened to stare straight into Tony's eyes which were staring straight into Loki's.

* * *

 **Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I hope you all enjoyed. I apologize for any grammatical errors. Until next time,**

 **P.H.**


	18. Brothers

**Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else. (This is extremely redundant and I'm being paranoid at this point, but precautions are important!)**

 **AN: Thank you all so much for reading. I feel really thankful to anyone who takes time away to read this, so thank you, thank you, and thank you! I hope you all enjoy the next chapter.**

* * *

Loki blinked and sat up straight a little, though it caused a sharp pain to drift at an unsettlingly quick speed through his spine and his arms felt like they were about to fall off. He felt dazed and confused. There was a ringing in his ear and it was giving him a searing headache. But his eyes didn't leave Mr. Stark's, regardless of the heavy tiredness he felt that made him long to drop into the covers of this foreign but surprisingly comfortable bed. Truth be told he felt nervous, but his gaze would not waver.

Stark cleared his throat and noticeably loosened his shoulders. "Good morning! Or, well, afternoon. But, whatever." He shrugged. His voice was really loud and Loki grimaced in pain.

"So, how was your day?" Stark asked, sarcastically.

Loki choked an almost inaudible sound that was supposed to have been a clever jab at Stark's expense and felt himself shrink under his embarrassment.

"You feeling okay, there, buddy?" Stark asked.

Loki gave him a long hard glare, he had done this so many times with his brother that he had probably mastered 'glaring' at that point.

"Are we having a staring contest?" Stark asked, with unyielding calm.

"What?" Loki asked, confused.

"What-what?" Stark said, mockingly.

"What's a staring contest?" Loki asked, ignoring Stark's obnoxious answer.

"It's when you jump so high, inside a building, that you hit your head on the ceiling." Stark explained.

"That makes absolutely no sense." Loki stated.

"Some things in this world are simply unexplainable." Stark said, gesturing with his hands for dramatic effect.

And then they were just staring again. There was a long pause…

"So!" Stark suddenly exclaimed making Loki jump in surprise. "What are you doing?"

Loki furrowed his brows, "I'm lying in a bed."

"Yeah. No shit, Sherlock. I was asking what you're _doing._ What's your angle? What's the plan? Why are you here?" Stark asked. In Loki's disoriented state he felt a little confused and very much annoyed by the man, he knew it wasn't really a mountain of questions, but it still felt like it, and to add to this, he really didn't know how to tackle these questions and he really didn't feel like talking about this. He knew one of them would ask eventually, but he really wasn't prepared to answer.

"I'd rather not answer this question at this moment." Loki said, finally.

Stark sighed. "So, what's your favorite colour?" He asked, suddenly.

"What? I don't bloody know. Why would I have a favorite colour?" Loki asked.

"It's just a conversation starter." Stark shrugged. "Lighten up."

Loki rolled his eyes. The man of Iron was beginning to truly annoy him. Why does Stark have to bother him with his questions and nonsense the moment he wakes up? He is almost just like Thor in that respect.

"Do you want to answer my questions yet?" Stark asked. So persistent.

"I have a few questions of my own." Loki said. "Why am I sitting here laying in this bed and why do I have a massive headache?"

"I'll explain everything, if you explain what the big idea is." Stark said.

Loki sighed. "Fine. I'm here because… I've decided I'd rather not have the world be destroyed." Loki paused. Well, that was a terrible explanation. He regretted the sentence already.

"So… You just figuring that out now then?" Tony asked, his brows raised.

Loki sighed in frustration. He had no idea how to explain this, he just… He didn't want to say it aloud. He didn't want to talk about this. He didn't want to think about this. He just wanted one moment to not think about this, just _one moment!_ He felt so overwhelmed all of a sudden, like he was surrounded, like dark figures were hovering over him. He felt trapped. It felt like he was being pulled down. He felt like he couldn't breathe all of a sudden. It felt like someone was watching him. _It felt_ _like_ _ **he was**_ _**dying and he cOULDN'T BREATHE AND THE WORLD AROUND HIM WAS SLOWLY FADING INTO DARKNESS AND FEAR—**_

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

After all was said, Clint glanced at all of them a moment before leaving the room.

"I can't believe you didn't punch him in the face." Bruce said, after Barton had left. "Why didn't you? I would have been so angry if I had a sibling and someone almost killed them _on purpose_. I would probably have turned and went on a rampage across the city, if it were me."

Natasha shifted a little as stood next to Bruce, she was probably self conscious about the whole situation.

Thor sighed and looked at all of them a moment, "Because… I need to be willing to hold my temper and rashness, it's already started many conflicts that still have yet to be fully healed. I am furious with Barton, but instead of fighting him, I've thought better of it. I have yet to forgive him for harming Loki, but I have mostly forgiven my brother for all the things he's done and… Barton was once a brother to me, so I believe it's possible for him to be my brother again, just as I believe it's possible for Loki to be my brother again." Thor finished.

The room stood quiet and there was an unfamiliar tension in the air, like a long pause that started to become unnerving.

Bruce admired Thor's generosity. It was surprising to say the least. He hoped he might reach the same standards as Thor, when it came to Barton, but at the moment he wasn't sure he was even willing to try. Barton could be quite infuriating at times…

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"Hey… Hey!" He heard Stark suddenly yell, the man's hands were grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. He pushed Stark's arms away, defensively, as he hyperventilated.

"Are you alright?" Stark asked. Loki took a deep breath as he tried to regain his composure. What a ridiculous and annoying question! Why bother asking such a thing? Stark already knew the answer and besides why should he care? If Laufey was harmed, would Odin ask _"Oh, no. Are you alright?"_ of course not…

"Please go away…" Loki panted. He had had enough. He just wanted to close his eyes and relax for a single moment.

"Thor asked me to keep an eye on you." Stark shrugged.

Loki turned over into the covers, turning away from Stark.

"So, my brother thinks I'm planning something _devious_ , then?" Loki asked, bitterly. "Of course."

"Um… No. Thor wants to keep you safe, after what happened." Stark said, "But if he did or does think you're planning something _'devious'_ , could you really blame him?" he prompted.

Loki turned to look at Stark again, "After _what_ happened?" he asked, referring to Stark's first sentence.

"Clint Barton, —you know, the guy you hypnotized— He came in, shot you with his trusty bow and arrow, the arrow turned out to be magical —Thor gave it to him for his birthday or something— You're human, so you could die. Thor and Natasha go on an adventure together, they come back and then you're cured. We carried you in here and I decided to stay in here with you for Thor, while Thor goes to beat up Clint." Stark finished.

…

"I don't remember any of that…" Loki said.

"It's all true, I swear."

"Is Barton still here?" Loki asked.

"Yup. But I'll protect you, so there's nothing to worry about, my princess." Stark said.

"I don't need your protection." Loki said, rolling his eyes.

"Stop being such a liar." Stark said.

"You should go call Thor a princess and see what happens." Loki said.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" Stark asked.

"Maybe."

There was a knock on the door, but before either Loki or Stark could reply, Thor stepped in.

"Loki," Thor exclaimed.

"Am I supposed to leave now?" Stark asked.

Thor stopped when he was at Loki's side, looking relieved and happy at the sight of his brother, "Are you feeling alright, my brother?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm fine…" he said. He really wanted both Thor and Stark to leave.

"Stark, if I may have a moment with Loki."

Tony got up from his seat, "Peace out girls scouts." Whatever that means. Then he walked off, he turned to look at Thor a moment, "I'll see you later, _'princess.'_ " He said to Thor, before leaving. The god of thunder furrowed his brows in confusion.

Thor sat down and Loki felt his chest becoming too small for his lungs again.

"Loki…" Thor started. "I need to thank you… For offering to help us." Thor said, "You have no idea how happy it makes me…"

Loki diverted his eyes at a swirly pattern, one of the blankets was making; he didn't want to make eye contact with Thor.

"I know neither of us have been very good brothers… or friends… I know our past is extremely complicated and conflicted with anger and lies and hurt, but I would like to start over. Do you think we can try starting over?" Thor asked, looking at Loki intently.

Loki slowly nodded. But inside he was nodding a lot more vigorously. He wanted nothing more than to return to his family. He knew nothing would be forgotten, but they still had the chance to accept the past and make a better future for the both of them. Loki could not remember when he finally started to become tired of the conflicts between him and his brother and Odin and he just wanted it all to end and finally be over. At that point he had just wanted to be held by them again. Maybe his father hadn't accepted him yet, because of his true heritage, but he knew Thor would accept him and really Thor was all the family he felt he needed.

"Alright," Thor said. "You need some rest, after all that has happened."

And they stood in silence for a long moment.

"Why aren't you leaving?" Loki finally had to ask, shifting his body a little.

"I cannot simply leave you alone after all that has occurred." Thor said, as though it were completely obvious.

"Well, it's difficult to sleep when you're just sitting there, _staring_." Loki said, exasperated.

"I'll turn my chair around, if you like, but I'm not going to leave this room with you alone."

Loki sighed, in annoyance. But as he lay down in the soft and warm covers with his eyes closed, he could already feel himself drifting to sleep. That hadn't happened in a very long time and he felt a sudden and slight, but still quite real, contentedness.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, everyone. I hope you all have a lovely day/noon/night. Until next time,**

 **P. H.**


	19. Cold

**Disclaimer: I own nothing owned by someone else.**

 **AN: Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

Two weeks had passed, the amount of time human's needed to heal astounded Loki. Thor would often visit him and he would reminisce and tell anecdotes of the past. Thor didn't understand how terrible it made Loki feel when he spoke of these things; it made feel sad, as though he were an old crippled man thinking of all the things he could have done better, all the mistakes he couldn't fix, all the things and people he would never see again and all the things he missed so much. The times when Odin would pick him up and hold him high in the air and he'd feel brave and powerful like his brother, back when their, Odin's and his, relationship was not tarnished yet. He recalled, like a sweet dream, that moment when he heard Thor singing a love song they had heard at a tavern by a bard and Thor stubbornly denied singing anything at all. He remembered when Frigga gave Thor and him a hug before they went to bed and awoke to the welcoming shining lights in the window of whom came like old friends promising never to leave. The comfort he once had in his former golden home of warmth and safety, his former haven, was now a haze of light and warmth from the past that he would never see or feel again… he knew the past was not perfect in the least, he knew he was being nostalgic and sentimental, he knew it was a waste of time to think about, but he just couldn't help it. He missed feeling warm and safe so much. He felt the cold void of emptiness every day, the past was gone, but it almost felt as though he could reach out to it and it would take him back into its sweet arms and never let him go, but every time he tried he was met with the cold reality. Everything was so _cold_ ; the kind of cold that can never be thawed. It's the kind of cold that leaves you shaking, clutching at rags for blankets, every stifled breath causing searing pain in your throat and chest and you're desperately whispering prayers to Valhalla: _Please let it end. Please let me rest!_ No one is listening. And the only warmth you ever feel is the hot tears on your face dripping pathetically to the floor into the puddle you made with your sobbing, soaking your rags. It's the kind of cold that leaves you frozen in all your pain, defeat, sadness, shame, anxiety, emptiness, hopelessness… It doesn't let you feel anything else, sometimes you don't feel anything at all. It's as cold and blank as snow. And you have tried to defeat it too many times, you're knees are stiff from trying to move them from the cold and your heart is too tired to fight anymore, you just want it to all be over. You're so tired.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Mr. Banner would often come in to see how his health had progressed. He did not like it when the doctor touched his arm and shoulder and prodded at it, it made him anxious and he hoped that it would stop soon. He didn't like the doctor pressing his shoulder or using any of those strange machines and contraptions on him and he didn't like the healing pill Banner gave him, it made him tired. The doctor had told Loki he was healing fast, the former god of mischief found that hard to believe. His head was always banging in pain, he always felt so tired and nauseated and his arm ached like someone pressed ice on it for a multitudinous amount of hours.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" Loki jumped and reality snapped back into his senses. Stark was sitting in the chair Thor usually sat in. The Man of Iron often came in, sometimes to ask about the impending mission, other times to sit and say nonsensical things. Loki felt he was trying to figure him out, to figure out what Loki's plan was, he couldn't blame him; he was the god of lies, Stark was only being sensible by being suspicious and cautious with him, only a fool or idiot would not be suspicious or cautious with him.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"Thor." Natasha approached the god of thunder on the roof of Avengers tower. He was almost always on the roof, probably trying to manage his worries about his brother. He was standing there, steady and calm in the soft wind and he turned to her at the sound of his name.

"Yes, Natasha?" he said.

Natasha decided to just jump right into it, "I think Loki's healthy enough to help us with the mission now." She said.

Thor paused in thought, "Have you discussed this with Banner?" he asked.

"Yes." She said. She was relieved to see Thor was open to finally starting this up, they should not wait too long on something so important, "And he's said Loki's healed enough to give us the information we need."

Thor sighed, "Alright." He said, calmly, though she could see a glint of worry in his eyes and in his expression. "But tomorrow." He said.

Natasha paused a moment in her thoughts, "Okay." She said. She had had hopes to start this on that very day, but tomorrow wasn't too bad. It was just that she had become more and more nervous over the past few days, as were the rest of them.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

Tony visited Loki often, simply to talk. He wanted to figure Loki out. There was something about Loki that Tony couldn't quite understand. He was different from the Loki of the past, very different. He was quieter and he didn't boast or anything like that like he did before. He constantly had this blank look as though he were thinking about something or maybe nothing at all and sometimes his eyes would glint when this happened, a glint of fear or sadness or sometimes both, his eyes showed so much of that. Tony wondered what happened to Loki. He seemed traumatized. When Loki had a panic attack, Tony had tried to become more gentle and infrequent with his questions as best he could. He was beginning to feel sorry for his former enemy, though he tried to push that away, as it made him paranoid that Loki was planning something bad and manipulating them. The god of tricks and mischief and lies could very well do that, too. What if this was all a big act? What if the info Loki would provide soon was going to get them all killed or something like that? But it just didn't seem true; the more Tony talked to him, the more he just couldn't see it, Loki was so different from the egotistical madman the genius had first met him as. But what if Loki was just being a really good actor? Thor had told of all Loki's trickery before, of how he had tricked Thor into thinking their Dad was dead! And Tony had experience this sort of trickery firsthand in his own past. He had trusted someone before without question and that almost got him killed. But Loki was young —for an Asgardian—, it was possible that he was indeed trying to atone for his mistakes. Tony didn't think things were set in stone, he believed people could change and for the better too, in fact he knew they could, after all he did himself. And Loki had seemed a lot like a reckless teenager when they first met; reckless teenagers often change their ways and become successful doctors and accountants when they grow up. Maybe Loki was an overgrown teenager who lost his way. While Tony was trying hard to be cautious, he just couldn't help but believe Loki was better than his past self. Thoughts constantly jumbled in his mind telling him it was so or not so and he really just couldn't tell. He supposed they would find out eventually, hopefully Loki was better than when they first met him. Because if he wasn't then they were in danger, as well as the _entire world._ Maybe that's why Tony just plain and simple couldn't help believing Loki was better; if he isn't then they're all doomed!

"Hey…" Tony said. Loki had went into a weird trance thing again. Tony could sit there all day without the guy noticing him.

Loki jumped and looked up, confused.

"How you doin'?" Stark asked.

"I'm fine." Loki said, simply.

There was a pause and it looked as though Loki were about to go into his trance thing again.

"Hey, Loki?" Tony prompted, trying to make conversation.

"What?" Loki asked, looking up.

"Tell me who the best Avenger is." Tony said.

Loki thought a moment before saying: "The Hulk."

"What? I can't believe this. I thought you had my back." Tony said, feigning confusion and a look of betrayal.

"Banner has great strength and intelligence. He could defeat Thor, a god, in battle, and he could easily outsmart you. The choice was rather obvious." Loki said, matter-of-factly.

Stark rolled his eyes, "Pfft. Banner wouldn't be able to outsmart me if his life depended on it."

"I disagree."

"Yeah, well, ya know, that's just like your opinion, _man_." Tony said.

" _Yeah, well,_ you asked for my opinion." Loki said, with a bit of sass and Tony grinned.

"I was testing you to see if you could get the right answer. You failed. You lose. Good day, sir." Tony said, folding his arms together as if he had just won an epic game of wits. Loki rolled his eyes in annoyance.

They had conversed for around an hour, Loki doing nothing other than answering questions and remarks, never really starting anything himself. He finally asked Tony to leave and leave he did.

Tony would often visit him, just to have casual conversation and say random and stupid crap. He liked talking to Loki. Loki didn't seem to enjoy it as much, or at least he pretended to convey annoyance at Stark's presence. But, if he really wanted Stark to leave then why did he wait an hour to tell him that? _Conspiracies_. And over the past few weeks, he had begun to grow calmer whenever Tony came in, as though his presence helped him escape with whatever thoughts that came to him when he was alone. Tony knew what it was like to have dark thoughts creep in and consume your life, like a leach sucking at your skin or like Cell, from Dragon Ball Z, absorbing you. The one thing that could stop Tony from drinking his life away because of it was Pepper. Having a friend is important. Pepper helped him so much. He wanted to be able to help Loki, because he genuinely believed the guy was suffering in his thoughts, drowning in them. Drowning in freezing cold water. He empathized a lot with Loki, maybe that's why he couldn't help but believe Loki had changed; he empathized with him.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. I hope this was good and didn't make anyone want to throw their pancakes at me like Frisbees to appease and cure their minds of it. And, unless I'm telekinetically flung into the sun and immediately killed, there will be a next time,**

 **P.H.**


	20. Be Prepared

**Disclaimer: I own nothing that is owned by someone else.**

 **AN: Thanks for reading. I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

Steve's mind had been rattled with all sorts of things for weeks. Steve was trying to be very cautious of Loki, as Bruce had said that Loki appeared very 'damaged' and so Steve opted to avoid contact as much as possible with the former god, not wanting to cause any more damage. In fact he hadn't interacted with Loki at all so far. Tony had, which worried Steve because Tony could be very abrasive and his and Loki's personality were bound to clash. He hoped Tony was being careful with how he was treating the situation, he expected Loki would probably react very strongly to being angered or upset. He wasn't called the god of chaos for no reason and that was a proven fact, Steve knew about Loki's madness firsthand. He knew about Loki's arrogance and evil and his opinion of Loki wouldn't change until he was clearly proven wrong. But, regardless of his opinions, he was still obligated to protect Loki as he was someone who could potentially help them to save their world if they were lucky and Loki wasn't tricking them, so Steve made sure that for the most part he knew where Clint was, because while he would like to give his friend the benefit of the doubt, there was too much at stake to be overly trusting of him. He was still friendly and kind towards Clint; Loki had damaged him a lot. True he was most certainly accountable for his actions, but one should be aware of the details that brought about the reaction Clint had towards Loki.

He was sitting with Clint at that very moment, at the table, in the overly costly kitchen that Tony had designed. No one else spoke to him, especially not Bruce and Thor who both seemed to hate him at that moment. He hoped things would get back to normal soon. Clint was cold and distant, nothing like the archer Steve knew and whenever Thor or Bruce crossed paths with him there was a clear feeling of anger and hostility in the air and whenever Steve mentioned Loki Clint would become very irritated and annoyed with him.

The clock on the light green wall said it was 5:45 AM and the sound of coffee brewing could be heard. They had already made peanut-butter toast, bacon and eggs and were gradually chewing at their food and moving it around with their forks in the silence of the early morning. The sky was as bright as it would ever be that day, pure white light gazing over their shoulders from the window. Steve loved the peace and purity that morning seemed to bring to him.

"It's a beautiful day." Steve said, looking out the window. He didn't know what else to say, he just wanted to break the cold silence.

Clint didn't answer, not even looking up from his half-empty plate.

"Natasha told me we're finally going to talk to Loki today." Steve said, getting up to pour the fresh coffee into two cups for the both of them.

Clint suddenly gave him a look of alertness, as he placed the cups on the table and sat back down.

"So he's finally going to talk." He said, looking thoughtful, "I suppose I won't be able to be there to hear the plan firsthand then…" he chuckled, bitterly.

"Yeah…" Steve said, "But we'll tell you the plans and give you the info later on… At least I will, anyway…"

Clint sighed in frustration, "Why is Bruce so pissed-off at me?" Clint asked, suddenly. Steve flinched at the cussing, but said nothing about it. "I get why Thor is, but why is Bruce? What the hell did I do to him?"

"You endangered Natasha." Steve said.

"She did that herself and it's not like she hasn't been in worse situations, it was probably a piece of cake for her. She's not a child." Clint said.

"She's his girlfriend, Clint. He loves her." Steve said. Clint scoffed.

"I know I fucked up, but why does he have to be such an asshole? I said sorry and I'm helping you guys, even though I'm supposed to be retired and could be at home with my wife and kids, and he's still being a passive-aggressive dickhead."

"Like I said, he loves her. He genuinely loves her… You need to be patient, because if you prove yourself deserving then he'll forgive you, he's a reasonable guy. And could you please watch your language?" Steve said.

Clint glared at Steve, "I'm beginning to think he'd rather take _Loki's_ side than mine, even though I was his teammate and saved his life a million times and Loki's the little shit who tried to kill us and rule the world like a fucking tyrant."

"He'll forgive you eventually, Clint." Steve said, "Things will get back to normal. We've all been able to forgive and forget each other, despite the odds. Things'll get back to normal."

Clint laughed, "Were things ever normal to begin with?"

Steve chuckled, "I suppose not." And he took a sip of his coffee.

..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..

"Wakey, wakey!" Stark called and he turned on the blaring lights and opened the blinds to expose blinding light and Loki shut his eyes tightly.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked, irritated.

"I made waffles." Stark said and he dropped a plate in Loki's lap, making him have to sit up, his eyes still squinting in the brightness. "Okay, well, I didn't actually make them as much as I used already made batter from a box and mixed it with water and put it in a waffle iron and pressed a few buttons, but still."

"What time is it?" Loki asked, still squinting.

"Six!" Stark exclaimed, sounding utterly delighted. Loki's eyes were still only a little adjusted to the sudden light, but he could still see the strange Midgardian food on his plate. "There's also chocolate milk on the nightstand."

"Six?" he uttered, as he looked up at Stark from the squares covered in thick amber liquid on his plate, "Why are you waking me up so early?"

"Excuse me? I bring you waffles and chocolate milk in bed and this is how you treat me?" Tony cried, with feigned emotion.

Loki glared at him.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! I got up at six in the morning and brought you breakfast even though I could be in my bed for at least three more hours; I'm practically a saint right now."

"Why have you awoken me and given me breakfast?" Loki asked.

"Because its morning and morning means breakfast." Stark shrugged and took a bite out of his food.

"That's not a valid reason to wake someone up so early."

Stark sighed, looking as though he was trying to organize his thoughts, "The reason I'm here is actually to, um… Kinda give you a heads up. When everyone else is awake, they're gonna start asking you questions about Odin and all that stuff, sooo…"

Loki sat up more on his bed, worry filling his thoughts.

"Barton—"

"Nah, someone'll give him the info when we're done talking to you. I'm pretty sure Thor would kick his ass if he even tried to come in." Loki felt a little relief and though it wasn't complete relief it still felt like a weight was lifted from him. He was constantly worried about Barton and now the man didn't seem like too much of a threat. Loki trusted Thor to be able to stop Barton from trying anything again. But he still had to worry about how he would go about answering the avenger's questions, he wasn't looking forward to it and an overwhelmed feeling rose in his chest. Loki looked up again and for a moment Stark gave him a knowing look, as though he were reading his thoughts, before going back to eating, his face dropping into its usual casual expression.

"Why are you telling me this?" Loki asked.

"Because I wanted you to be prepared. If I didn't wake you up early, they would probably have woken you up and started when you'd just woken. Some of them will be completely relentless with their questions and they might be a bit… overwhelming. I just thought you might want to be prepared, nobody wants to be bombarded with questions as soon as they wake up, or at all for that matter."

Loki just stared at Stark a moment. Why would he want to help Loki, of all people…? Oh. Because he doesn't want there to be any 'commotion'. Obviously. Loki was well near mad, if he wasn't already and Stark didn't want him to 'go out of control' or decide not to help them.

Loki sighed, looking down at the food Stark had given him.

"I never really wanted to rule Midgard." He said, before he could stop himself.

"Huh?" Stark said, confused by Loki's sudden statement.

Loki sighed, he didn't know why he was saying this.

"None of it was really my plan, and anything that was my plan was made to fail as much as possible. I just wanted to get away…" he hated thinking about this, the very thought of what had happened to him left him with a sick feeling in his stomach and a he felt a twinge of pain he had memorized long ago from what they had done to him, a memory so vivid he could feel it crawling down his skin as though he were really there again.

"The Chitauri… and Thanos… they— I sometimes wish I had just kept falling through the void. I would rather they never found me, falling forever in that abyss." Loki wasn't sure why he was even talking about this, let alone talking about it with Stark.

"So, they… torture you?" Stark asked. Loki flinched ever so slightly at the word, bringing back a rush of terrible thoughts and feelings, scarring memories that would never leave him. And Loki couldn't answer the question. It would hurt too much to even nod in acknowledgement to that question. So he stared into Stark's eyes, hoping the look in his own eyes would answer for him.

Stark shuffled in his seat a little, before talking: "A while ago, I was captured and tortured too. They were trying to get me to make dangerous weapons for them. I thought I was gonna die, far away from my home in a ratty cave. It was terrifying. 'Changed me forever and not all in positive ways." He finished.

"You never made those weapons, did you?" Loki asked.

"No, but if I didn't have a plan for how to escape, I very well could've; I was a complete asshole back then, not that that's changed much." Stark chuckled, it sounded bittersweet. "And also, I'm not saying I _know exactly_ what you've been through either. Just that I can relate a little."

Loki looked away from Stark, he felt ashamed. He'd wished he'd found a way out that wasn't as chaotic. He wished he had done something similar to what Stark had done. The voice in his head telling him he didn't have that many options at the time and certainly not as many as Stark had, dealing with nothing but fellow humans, didn't help him feel any better or any less guilt-ridden about the past.

Stark sat up and placed his dirty plate on the chair, before sitting down next to Loki on the bed, making Loki have to scoot over, "Hey, here's the deal. I'll try to make sure they don't bombard you too much with their questions and you'll watch a movie with me." Stark said, changing the subject, he was probably bothered by his own past.

Loki nodded in agreement. Stark picked up the cup of 'chocolate milk' from Loki's nightstand and handed it to Loki.

"Thank you." Loki said, taking the cup. But he wasn't really thanking him about the chocolate milk.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed. And until next time,**

 **PH**


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